The Effects of Land Use and Landscape Position on Soil Physicochemical Properties in a Semiarid Watershed, Northern Ethiopia

Table 7

Mean values ± SE of soil organic matter (SOM), soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C : N) in different land use types across altitudinal gradients.

Soil variables	Land use types	Altitudinal gradients			Average
		Lower	Middle	Upper
SOM (%)	Barren land	—	1.18 ± 0.10	0.96 ± 0.10	1.07^d ± 0.10
	Cultivated land	2.40 ± 0.10	1.96 ± 0.10	1.57 ± 0.10	1.98^c ± 0.10
	Grassland	4.24 ± 0.10	1.98 ± 0.10	2.22 ± 0.10	2.81^a ± 0.10
	Plantation forest	—	2.32 ± 0.10	2.13 ± 0.10	2.23^b ± 0.10
Average		3.32^a ± 0.10	1.86^b ± 0.10	1.72^b ± 0.10	2.02 ± 0.10
SOC (%)	Barren land	—	0.69 ± 0.06	0.56 ± 0.06	0.62^d ± 0.06
	Cultivated land	1.39 ± 0.06	1.14 ± 0.06	0.91 ± 0.06	1.15^c ± 0.06
	Grassland	2.46 ± 0.06	1.15 ± 0.06	1.29 ± 0.06	1.63^a ± 0.06
	Plantation forest	—	1.34 ± 0.06	1.24 ± 0.06	1.29^b ± 0.06
Average		1.93^a ± 0.06	1.08^b ± 0.06	1.00^b ± 0.06	1.17 ± 0.06
TN (%)	Barren land	—	0.10 ± 0.01	0.10 ± 0.01	0.10^c ± 0.01
	Cultivated land	0.17 ± 0.01	0.17 ± 0.01	0.17 ± 0.01	0.17^b ± 0.01
	Grassland	0.23 ± 0.01	0.14 ± 0.01	0.20 ± 0.01	0.19^ab ± 0.01
	Plantation forest	—	0.20 ± 0.01	0.19 ± 0.01	0.20^a ± 0.01
Average		0.20^a ± 0.01	0.15^b ± 0.01	0.16^b ± 0.01	0.17 ± 0.01
C : N	Barren land	—	6.90 ± 0.70	5.85 ± 0.70	6.38^b ± 0.70
	Cultivated land	8.65 ± 0.70	6.78 ± 0.70	5.51 ± 0.70	6.98^b ± 0.70
	Grassland	11.08 ± 0.70	8.18 ± 0.70	6.57 ± 0.70	8.61^a ± 0.70
	Plantation forest	—	6.73 ± 0.70	6.70 ± 0.70	6.71^b ± 0.70
Average		9.86^a ± 0.70	7.15^b ± 0.70	6.16^b ± 0.70	7.17 ± 0.70

Overall means within columns and rows followed by the same letter(s) are not significantly different ( < 0.05) as influenced by land use and altitude based on Duncan’s test. Values shown are means ± standard error (n = 3).