Soil acidifying effects of synthetically produced fertilizer application in high rainfall areas of Northwestern Ethiopia
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Abstract
Soil acidification is a natural process in high rainfall areas where leaching slowly acidifies the soil over time. Thus, a field experiment was conducted at Pawe Agricultural Research Center in 2018 to evaluate the effects of synthetically produced fertilizer on the fertility status of soil under Pawe conditions in Northwestern Ethiopia. The treatments consisted of factorial arrangements of four levels of Nitrogen (0, 50, 100, and 150 kg/ha) and four levels of Phosphorus (0, 37.5, 75, and 112.5 kg/ha) that were laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications in a factorial arrangement. Forty-eight soil samples were collected from the field for analysis. The results of this study revealed that soil acidification and P enrichment were the foremost problems identified. Soil acidification due to the use of phosphorus fertilizer is small compared to that attributed to nitrogen due to the lower amounts of this nutrient used and the lower acidification per kg of phosphorus. Application of synthetically produced fertilizer beyond 50 kg/ha N leads to potential environmental hazards of N and P pollution of nearby aquatic bodies, specifically in areas with high rainfall. Therefore, proposing different ameliorative measures and practicing area-specific recommendations are vital in areas that can receive higher annual rainfall.
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