Land degradation has been a global agenda. It has been affecting both developed and developing nations (including Ethiopia). The overall objective of the study was to assess the impact of landscape restoration (including area closure) on the environment and farmers‘ livelihood in Hita-Borkena watershed, northeastern Ethiopia. Three Landsat images (1986, 2001 and 2015) were used to detect land cover dynamics. Laboratory analysis of selected soil physico-chemical properties were made to compare the soil properties of closed/restored and open grazing areas. Household questionnaire was administered to investigate environmental problems before and after landscape restoration, the role of area closure and different conservation measures, and the impact of the restoration on farmers‘ livelihood. A total of 255 household heads were selected randomly for the questionnaire survey. This survey was also substantiated by interviewing agricultural experts, observation and reviewing reports prepared by Kalu District Agriculture Office. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze quantitative data. Besides, qualitative approach was implemented in order to analyze qualitative data. The study found out that forestlands and shrublands shrunk through 1986 – 2015, grasslands expanded mainly due to the implementation of area closure under MERET project since 2001. The study revealed that better organic matter, total nitrogen, clay and silt contents, CEC and total porosity were recorded under area closure than under open grazing land. However, both available P and K were found minimum under the former land use type. This may be due to the reason that such nutrients exist more in unavailable form or it may be because of the fact that large amount of those nutrients are extracted by the restored vegetation. The study showed that rates of soil erosion, overgrazing and illegal cutting of trees were relatively higher before landscape restoration. The respondents also appreciated the positive role of land restoration in improving the fertility of the soils of the study watershed and then the positive impact to their livelihood. Based on the results of the study, it is recommended that similar restoration activities shall be implemented in similar environments in Ethiopia to improve both the environment and farmers‘ livelihood / Geography / Ph. D. (Geography)

MSCAGR (Plant Production) / Department of Plant Production / Poor soil fertility caused by inadequate supply of nutrients on soil is one of the major constraints limiting crop production especially in the Vhembe District Municipality, Limpopo, South Africa. Therefore, management practices such as application of organic manure to minimize soil infertility is considered as good practice for smallholder farmers. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of macadamia husk compost on selected soil properties as well as the growth and yield of Chinese cabbage on sandy loam soil. A field experiment was carried out during 2018 and 2019 winter season at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) research farm in Levubu. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 4 treatments (control (zero)), inorganic fertilizer (100:60:60 NPK Kg ha-1) and compost at 15t ha-1 & 30t ha-1 replicated 3 times. Soil was analyzed before planting and after harvesting to determine the influence of applied compost on selected physical properties (soil bulk density and water holding capacity) and chemical properties (soil pH, soil organic matter, soil organic C, EC, total N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Al, Zn and Mn). Number of leaves, fresh mass, dry mass and leaf area was collected at three harvests interval (28, 46 and 74 days after transplanting). After each harvest period, leaves were analysed for nutrient content (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Zn, Cu, Mn and B). During the final harvest crops were uprooted and root biomass (fresh mass, dry mass and root length) were recorded. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted on all data using Genstat package 18th addition. Differences between treatment means were separated using the least significant differences (LSD) procedure and correlations analysis was determined using Pearson’s simple correlation coefficient. Macadamia husk compost application had a significant effect on soil bulk density and water holding capacity. Addition of macadamia husk compost significantly increased soil pH, OC, N, C: N K, P, Mg, Ca, Na, Al, Zn, Ca and Mn. In contrast, addition of macadamia husk compost had no effect on soil EC. Yield components (number of leaves, fresh mass, dry mass), root biomass, root length and leaf area increased with application of macadamia husk compost. Yield components, root biomass, root length and leaf area were significantly affected (p<0.01) by harvesting time. Yield components in the second cropping season was greater than yield components in the first season. Macadamia husk compost application showed no significant effect on leaf nutrient content of Chinese cabbage. However, leaf nutrient content was affected by harvesting time. It is evident from the results of this study that macadamia husk compost affects soil fertility and plant production. The results suggest that macadamia husk compost has a potential to be used as a reliable fertilizer by famers especially smallholder farmers who struggle to buy inorganic fertilizer because they are expensive. Since this study was conducted over two seasons and compost effect tend to be long term, further research is needed on application of macadamia husk compost on soil properties and yield of other crops over wide range of soils. / NRF

<p dir="ltr">Digital soil mapping (DSM) combines field and laboratory data with environmental factors to predict soil properties. The accuracy of these predictions depends on factors such as model selection, data quality and quantity, and landscape characteristics. In our study, we investigated the impact of sample density and the use of various environmental covariates (ECs) including slope, topographic position index, topographic wetness index, multiresolution valley bottom flatness, and multiresolution ridge top flatness, as well as the spatial resolution of these ECs on the predictive accuracy of four predictive models; Cubist (CB), Random Forest (RF), Regression Kriging (RK), and Ordinary Kriging (OK). Our analysis was conducted at three sites in Indiana: the Purdue Agronomy Center for Research and Education (ACRE), Davis Purdue Agriculture Center (DPAC), and Southeast Purdue Agricultural Center (SEPAC). Each site had its unique soil data sampling designs, management practices, and topographic conditions. The primary focus of this study was to predict the spatial distribution of soil properties, including soil organic matter (SOM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and clay content, at different depths (0-10cm, 0-15cm, and 10-30cm) by utilizing five environmental covariates and four spatial resolutions for the ECs (1-1.5 m, 5 m, 10 m, and 30 m).</p><p dir="ltr">Various evaluation metrics, including R², root mean square error (RMSE), mean square error (MSE), concordance coefficient (pc), and bias, were used to assess prediction accuracy. Notably, the accuracy of predictions was found to be significantly influenced by the site, sample density, model type, soil property, and their interactions. Sites exhibited the largest source of variation, followed by sampling density and model type for predicted SOM, CEC, and clay spatial distribution across the landscape.</p><p dir="ltr">The study revealed that the RF model consistently outperformed other models, while OK performed poorly across all sites and properties as it only relies on interpolating between the points without incorporating the landscape characteristics (ECs) in the algorithm. Increasing sample density improved predictions up to a certain threshold (e.g., 66 samples at ACRE for both SOM and CEC; 58 samples for SOM and 68 samples for CEC at SEPAC), beyond which the improvements were marginal. Additionally, the study highlighted the importance of spatial resolution, with finer resolutions resulting in better prediction accuracy, especially for SOM and clay content. Overall, comparing data from the two depths (0-10cm vs 10-30cm) for soil properties predications, deeper soil layer data (10-30cm) provided more accurate predictions for SOM and clay while shallower depth data (0-10cm) provided more accurate predictions for CEC. Finally, higher spatial resolution of ECs such as 1-1.5 m and 5 m contributed to more accurate soil properties predictions compared to the coarser data of 10 m and 30 m resolutions.</p><p dir="ltr">In summary, this research underscores the significance of informed decisions regarding sample density, model selection, and spatial resolution in digital soil mapping. It emphasizes that the choice of predictive model is critical, with RF consistently delivering superior performance. These findings have important implications for land management and sustainable land use practices, particularly in heterogeneous landscapes and areas with varying management intensities.</p>

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L’occupation du sol en zone forestière de Yangambi dans la Cuvette centrale congolaise (RDC) change rapidement et la fragmentation forestière liée à l’agriculture itinérante sur brûlis est devenue l’un des processus dominant la dynamique paysagère. La présente étude s’est fixée comme objectif de suivre une approche microclimatique en transects pour déterminer la zone de lisière entre les jachères herbeuses et les forêts denses, et ce, afin de mieux comprendre les réponses des propriétés physico-chimiques du sol aux changements d’occupation du sol et à la fragmentation forestière. Deux zones les plus appréciées par les paysans pour leurs exploitations agricoles ont été choisies en fonction des unités pédologiques existantes :la série Yangambi et la série Yakonde. Des échantillons non perturbés du sol de 0-10, 10-20 cm, 20-30 cm et perturbés de 0-20 cm ont été prélevés dans les différentes occupations de sols après la détermination de la zone de lisière. Notre démarche a consisté à comparer les propriétés de sols identiques au plan de leur pédogenèse, sous jachère herbeuse, sous lisière et sous couvert forestier, de façon à quantifier l’effet de lisière sur les propriétés des sols, pour mieux connaître les conséquences édaphiques de la fragmentation des forêts par l’agriculture itinérante sur brûlis. <p>Les résultats obtenus ont montré que la zone de lisière entre les jachères et les forêts denses a une largeur de 70 m pour la série Yangambi et 68 m pour la série Yakonde. Les variations microclimatiques de la lisière en terme de température de l’air, sont intermédiaires (moyenne, minima et maxima) entre celles des jachères herbeuses et des forêts denses. La fragmentation des forêts par l’agriculture itinérante sur brûlis modifie profondément les propriétés physico-chimiques de sols dans les couches superficielles. Un des effets de changements d’occupation du sol et de la fragmentation est la présence d’horizons superficiels à texture sableuse au niveau des jachères herbeuses et des lisières forestières. La densité apparente et la conductivité hydraulique ont subit une importante dégradation sous les jachères herbeuses. A l’inverse, la lisière forestière assure une bonne structure conservatrice du sol (faible densité apparente et bonne conductivité hydraulique). Le sol des forêts denses présente des bonnes propriétés physiques et de ce fait, est pris comme référence à partir duquel les effets de dégradation physique du sol peuvent être appréciés. <p>Le potentiel chimique du sol (pH, phosphore assimilable, le taux de saturation en bases et la CECE) est meilleur au niveau des jachères herbeuses et des lisières forestières par rapport aux forêts denses suite à la pratique du brûlis qui permet de restituer au sol une fraction de la minéralomasse forestière par les cendres. Les teneurs en carbone et azote totaux du sol ont été significativement plus élevées sous les lisières forestières que sous les jachères herbeuses et les forêts denses. Les résultats de l’indice de Kamprath ont montré que, les lisières, en plus de contribuer à l’accroissement de carbone organique du sol, tendent à diminuer la toxicité aluminique de sols étudiés. A l’inverse, l’étude a mis en évidence une toxicité aluminique plus élevée sous la jachère herbeuse de la série Yangambi que sous la lisière. En parallèle, nous avons observé une baisse des teneurs en fer sous toutes les jachères et les lisières forestières. <p>Les pratiques de jachères cultivées et d’agroforesterie s’avèrent incontournables pour enrichir ces sols en matière organique, limiter l’érosion liée au brûlis afin de freiner le lessivage des nutriments, éviter le compactage du sol et assurer le maintien à long terme d’une bonne structure conservatrice du sol.<p><p>In the forest zone of Yangambi, located in the Central Congo Basin (DRC), land use is changing rapidly and forest fragmentation due to slash and burn agriculture has become one of the dominant processes of landscape dynamics. This study's main goal is to apply a microclimatic approach in transects to determine the edge area between the fallow grasslands and dense forests, and, in order to better understand the responses of the soil physico-chemical properties to changes in land use and forest fragmentation. Two most popular areas used by farmers have been selected on the basis of the existing soil units: the Yangambi and Yakonde series. Undisturbed soil samples at depths of 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 20-30 cm and the disturbed at 0-20 cm were collected from different the land use types after detecting the edge area. Our approach was to compare the properties of identical soils based on their genesis, under grass fallow, edge and forest cover, so as to quantify the effect of edge on the soil properties, to better understand the edaphic consequences of the forest fragmentation by slash and burn shifting cultivation. <p>The results showed that the edge area between fallow and dense forests has a width of 70 m for the Yangambi series and 68 m for the Yakonde series. Microclimatic variations of the edge in terms of air temperature are intermediate (average, minimum and maximum) between grass fallows and dense forests. The fragmentation of forests by slash and burn shifting cultivation profoundly modifies the physico-chemical properties of soils in the surface layers. One of the effects of changes in land use and fragmentation was the presence of surface layers with more sandy texture in the fallow grassland and forest edges. Bulk density and hydraulic conductivity undergo an important degradation under grass fallows. In contrast, the forest edge ensures a maintenance of the soil structure (low bulk density and good hydraulic conductivity). Dense forest soil has thus good physical properties and therefore is taken as the reference from which the effects of soil physical degradation can be appreciated. <p>The chemical potential of the soil (based on pH, available phosphorus, base saturation and CECE) is better in the grass fallows and forest edges compared to dense forests due to the practice of slash and burn which allows restoration by adding nutrients to the soil through the ashes. The carbon and total nitrogen in the soil were significantly higher under forest edges than in fallow grasslands and dense forests. The results of the-Kamprath index shows the edges, in addition to contributing to an increase in soil organic carbon, tend to decrease the aluminium toxicity of studied soils. By contrast, the study revealed a higher aluminium toxicity under fallow grassland on the Yangambi series that under the edge and the forest. In parallel, we observed a decrease in iron contents in all fallow lands and forest edges. <p>The practices of cultivated fallows and agroforestry are proving unavoidable for enriching these soils in organic material, to reduce erosion related to slash and burn in order to curb the leaching of nutrients, to avoid soil compaction and to maintain a long-term well developed soil structure.<p><p> / Doctorat en Sciences agronomiques et ingénierie biologique / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The subject of this master’s thesis is a solution of chosen parts of building construction project. The project solves industrial hall that contains productions and administrative space. This thesis includes technological regulations for substructure, study of performing the main technological stages, design of using machines, checking and testing plans. Other phrases parts are time schedules, budget, calculations, design of site equipment including engineering report and report for performing access road. Starting materials, which were used for this thesis, were engineering report also including working drawings.