FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE AND ANIMAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF CROP PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT

ASSESSMENT OF VARIABILITY OF SOIL PHYSIOCHEMICAL

PROPERTIES ACROSS LAND PRODUCTIVITY CLASSES IN
BANANA FARMING IN KABAROLE DISTRICT, UGANDA

NAME: ASIIMWE SOLOMON

REG. NO. BU/UG/2018/1983

Supervisor: Dr. Wasige John

RESEARCH REPORT DEFENSE, 23rd May, 2023

 INTRODUCTION
• Global level of natural resources and environmental
problems have promoted the awareness of a need
for sustainable development.
• Soil is the foundation resource for nearly all land
uses, and the most important component of
sustainable agriculture
• Soil fertility is becoming a concern, and more and
more communal land is both privatized and
converted to cash crop production and the fertility of
Ugandan soils has been on a whole decline.

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 INTRODUCTION
• Soil quality indicators refer to measurable soil attributes
that influence the capacity of a soil to support crop
production (Arshad & Martin, 2002) or another specified
function (Karlen, D.L. et al., 1997).
• Western Highlands Agro-ecological zone is one of the
Uganda’s leading Agro-ecological zones highly engaged in
plantation farming.
• However, despite the general recognition of the problem
of soil degradation and its impact on agricultural
productivity, there are few efforts to quantify the extent,
rate and process of soil fertility depletions under various
land use systems and management practices

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 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
• There has been a decline in soil fertility in banana farming systems
in Kabarole district due to mainly poor methods of farming
(Bekunda, 1999).
• Numerous strategies have been undertaken to combat these
problems; cover cropping, mulching, use of organic fertilizers
(Blomme et al., 2003).
• However, the spatial potential of banana productivity among
farmers is not known.
• Spatial banana productivity is mainly governed by soil quality
conditions mainly attributed to poor agronomic practices (Lal, xx).
• In this research I focused on studying the status of spatial banana
productivity as impacted by physical and chemical characteristics of
the soils under different management practices and socio-
economics among banana small holder farmers in Kabarole district -
western agro-ecological zone, Uganda
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 JUSTIFICATION
• Plantation farming most especially banana
growing dominates the western agro-
ecological zone of Uganda.
• A lot of damage has been done on the land
under plantations
• So, information is needed about the status of
the soil physiochemical properties to develop
strategies that will sustain plantation
agriculture, food security and improve
household income
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 STUDY OBJECTIVES
Main objective
The main objective of my research was to study the
extent of soil quality depletion under banana
plantations in Kabarole district - Western Highlands
Agro ecological zone, Uganda.
Specific objectives
•To determine the effect of management practices on
selected soil physiochemical properties and banana
yield.
•To determine soil physiochemical properties under
different land productivity classes.

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 STUDY HYPOTHESES/QUESTIONS
•H0 Management practices have no effect on
selected soil physiochemical properties and yield
of bananas.

•H0 There’s no significant variation among soil

physiochemical properties under different land
productivity classes.

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 SCOPE/FOCUS OF THE STUDY
• The research covered areas of Rwenzori sub region within the
Western Highlands Agro ecological zone of Uganda specifically
the sub-counties of Bukuku, Kicwamba and Karangura –
Kabarole district.
• This work took one growing season to collect soil samples
from different banana plantation farms and then taken for
analysis.
• The parameters of the soil that were measured are soil pH,
soil organic matter, total nitrogen, exchangeable Calcium
(Ca2+), Magnesium (Mg2+), sodium (Na+), Potassium (K+),
soil texture (the percentage proportions of sand, clay and silt).

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 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
• The results of this work will help communities
engaged in banana farming and other land
uses system know the status of soils in
Kabarole district and implement the necessary
strategies to maintain and improve the soil
quality.
• It will also help policy makers and government
agencies in formulating policies.

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 METHODOLOGY
Location
The study was done in the sub-counties of Kicwamba,
Bukuku and Karangura – Kabarole District.
Materials
•The study was stratified into banana land productivity
classes derived from number of bunches per season as
categories by banana farming.
•The productivity classes included; increasing
productivity, stable productivity, stable but stressed
productivity, slightly declining productivity and
declining productivity.
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 METHODOLOGY
Methods
•There was visitation of farms of different farmers among
productivity classes and farmers were interviewed basing
on the questionnaire that was developed.
•Soil sampling. The soil samples were collected from
plantations of bananas in the sub-counties of Kicwamba,
Bukuku and Karangura - Kabarole district
•Soil sampling was guided by the land productivity classes
•Three representative soil samples were taken per land
productivity class making a total of 15 soil samples.

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 METHODOLOGY
Methods
•The following soil chemical properties were considered;
soil pH, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, exchangeable
Calcium (Ca2+), Magnesium (Mg2+), sodium (Na+),
Potassium (K+), and the physical property that was
considered was soil texture (the percentage proportions of
sand, clay and silt).
Data management and analysis
•One-way ANOVA, using GenStat 15th Edition SP1 software,
was used to analyse the mean values of different soil
physiochemical properties
•IBM SPSS Statistics 20 was used to analyze the
socioeconomic/livelihood data.
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 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Results
Mean yield across productivity classes
Productivity class Mean yield (bunches/season)

Increasing productivity 124.17b

Stable productivity 103.33b

Stable but stressed productivity 51.67a

Slightly declining productivity 30.00a

Declining productivity 35.83a

Probability values cross the study and among farmers that practice intercropping, soil
and water conservation

Study area Intercroppin Soil Water

g conservation conservation

p-value <.001 0.003 0.005 <.001

 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
• Results
Soil conservation among productivity classes
Productivity class Response Frequency Percentage
Increasing Yes 12 100
productivity
Stable Yes 12 100
productivity
Stable but No 2 16.7
stressed Yes 10 83.3
productivity Total 10 100
Slightly declining No 4 50
productivity Yes 4 50
Total 8 100
Declining No 10 83.3
productivity Yes 2 16.7
Total 12 100
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
• Results
Level of water conservation among productivity classes
Productivity class Response Frequency Percentage
INCREASING No 1 8.3
PRODUCTIVITY Yes 11 91.7
Total 12 100
STABLE PRODUCTIVITY Yes 12 100
STABLE BUT STRESSED No 3 25.0
PRODUCTIVITY Yes 9 75.0
Total 12 100
SLIGHTLY DECLINING No 5 62.5
PRODUCTIVITY Yes 3 37.5
Total 8 100
DECLINING No 8 66.7
PRODUCTIVITY Yes 4 33.3
Total 12 100

Average period in years respondents have engaged in banana farming

across the study area
Number of respondents 56
Mean (years) 8.91
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Results
Means of selected soil chemical and physical properties across the study area and productivity
classes
Soil properties
Productivity class
N (%) K+ Na+ Mg2+ Ca2+ O.M (%) pH Silt (%) Clay (%) Sand (%)

Increasing 0.4a 1.26a 0.29a 2.16a 9.15a 5.94ab 6.48a 9.3a 26b 64.67a
productivity
Stable 0.423a 0.44a 0.3a 1.48a 7.59a 6.17ab 6.55ab 8a 23.3ab 68.67a
productivity
Stable but 0.393a 1.07a 0.26a 1.9a 8.49a 6.49b 6.5a 10a 23.3a 68.67a
stressed
productivity
Slightly declining 0.210a 1.16a 0.25a 1.38a 6.86a 2.92a 6.66b 10a 22.3ab 68a
productivity
Declining 0.213a 0.27a 0.31a 2.66a 10.6a 2.81a 6.52ab 9.33a 21.3ab 67.33a
productivity
Study area 0.33 0.84 0.28 1.92 8.53 4.87 6.54 9.3 23.5 67.2
11/21/23
p-value 0.109
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0.158 0.806 0.542 0.542 0.063 0.106 0.62 0.154 0.274
16
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Results
Correlation between the different soil properties
Ph O.M (%) N (%) K+ Na+ Ca2+ Mg2+ Sand Clay Silt
Ph -
O.M 0.16 -
N 0.15 0.97*** -
K+ 0.21 0.42 0.42 -
Na+ 0.30 0.07 0.11 0.02 -
Ca2+ 0.10 0.25 0.30 0.37 0.02 -
Mg2+ 0.02 0.25 0.30 0.41 0.17 0.97*** -
Sand 0.08 0.04 -0.01 -0.17 -0.53 -0.31 -0.33 -
Clay 0.08 -0.10 -0.08 0.21 0.36 0.03 0.01 0.81*** -
Silt 0.26 0.08 0.14 0.61 0.32 0.47 0.54 -0.40 -0.21 -

*** represents significance at P<0.001

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 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Discussion
1. Effect of management practices on selected soil
physiochemical properties and banana yield
I.Effect on banana yield
From the tables it shows there is a statistically significant
variation in yield across the study area. Yield is significant at
5% level.
II. Effect on selected soil physiochemical properties
Ph
pH (6.48) was lowest in increasing productivity class. This is
classified as slightly acidic according to (Landon, 1984). It
was also lower in stable but stressed productivity class.
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 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Discussion
Organic matter
•The mean O.M for the entire study area was 4.87% and this
is classified high based on classification of (Landon, 1984).
•Mean Organic matter (O.M) was highest in stable but
stressed productivity class and lowest in slightest declining
and declining productivity classes.
•It was also high in stable and increasing productivity classes
and this can be attributed to the effect of management
practices implemented such as mulching and biomass
accumulated and this agrees to (Amare et al., 2013).

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 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Nitrogen
•Nitrogen was highest in stable productivity class
and lowest in declining productivity class and
slightly declining productivity class
•Nitrogen values/levels are classified high across
the study area according to (Landon, 1984) and
are also classified high in stable productivity
class, increasing productivity class and in stable
but stressed productivity class

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 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Discussion
Sodium, Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium
•All the means and the highest values among the productivity
classes did not go beyond a classification of medium with
exception of potassium.
Soil texture
•There’s a significant coefficient correlation between clay and
sand at P<0.001. It shows a negative correlation between clay
and sand
•Generally going by the percentages of sand, silt and clay the
soils across the study area can be classified in sandy clay loam
textural class and are regarded as fine soils (Osman, 2013).

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 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Discussion
2. Status of soil physiochemical properties under different
land productivity classes
I.Variation in soil properties
•The trend is clear that soils in increasing, stable and stable
but stressed productivity classes are superior to those in
slightly declining and declining productivity classes.
•There is no significant variation between the soil
properties.
•There is no empirical conclusive evidence that shows
conversion of land into agricultural use leads to
deterioration in soil physical and chemical characteristics.

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 Contin….
• And a number of studies has been done to show that
conversion of land into various land uses leads to
deteriorate in soil quality and other studies have also
shown otherwise.
• (Lumbanraja et al., 1998), (Hajabbasi et al., 1997) and
(Lal, 1996), all in their respective researches concluded
that conversion of land into different land uses led to
deterioriation in soil quality. However,
• (Saikh et al., 1998b), (Mazzucato & Niemeijer, 2000) and
(Gray, 1999) did not find significant change in soil
properties following land use change.

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 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Discussion
II. Correlation between the soil physiochemical
properties
There is a significant positive coefficient
correlation between Nitrogen and organic
matter, and magnesium and calcium.

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 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
CONCLUSIONS

•Soils in the increasing and stable productivity classes were

superior to those in the slightly declining and declining
productivity classes.

•Management practices produced a significant variation in

yield on the farms.

•There was higher yield in areas with better soil quality

 Contin….
RECOMMENDATIONS

•Farmers should engage themselves in mulching their

gardens to conserve moisture and build up organic
residues to increase organic matter.

•Application of inorganic fertilizers more especially in

slightly declining and declining productivity classes to
supplement on the low soil nutrients.
•Construction of ditches and contour bands in hilly
areas to conserve more water
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 CONTIN…
• Application of compost manure for homes that can’t
manage purchasing inorganic fertilizers

• There needs to be an organized communal labour

initiative.

• From the results of the study another research group

can focus on other land uses in the western
highlands agro-ecological zone such as coffee, cocoa,
tea and natural forests in order to have broad picture
of the nature of soils and other management
practices.

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THANK YOU……..

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