Assessment of Soil Structural Quality Under Area Closure and Open Grazing Land in Hidabu Abote District, North Shewa Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

The experiment was conducted at Sire Morise kebele, Hidabu Abote district, to assess soil structural quality of different land management system (area closure and open grazing land). In this study, area closure land management practice was compared with open grazing land management practice in similar slope positions for soil structural quality build up. Soil samples were collected from both land management system at three slope position with three times replication. Totally 36 undisturbed soil blocks were collected from both land management system at 10 and 20 cm sampling depths. The finding of the study showed that the average value of volumetric moisture content and saturated hydraulic conductivity of soil were greater at area closure than open grazing land management system and also higher at bottom slope position than middle and upper slope position. The mean value of air-filled porosity and bulk density were lower at both area closure management practices and bottom slope position. Bulk density, volumetric soil moisture content and saturated hydraulic conductivity at 20 cm sampling depth were shows significantly different with respect to management practices. According to visual assessment in the field, soil physical quality was unfavourable in open grazing land management system and upper part of landscape position soils and the visual assessment scores showed that the soils under area closure had a good soil structural quality. There were strong relations among the three visual field assessment methods and also between visual assessment methods and laboratory determined soil properties of both land management system. In general, the result of the study showed that physical and structural quality of soil in area closure was improved due to good land management system. Based on the result of study it can be conclude that area closure improves soil physical and soil structural qualities and from the technical point of view, open grazing lands in hilly area should be changed to area closure before soil properties and soil nutrient contents are exhausted more.