Dataset of routine physical and chemical properties of soils under different land-use/land-cover classes in the Mount Cameroon area
Description
The data is on selected physical and chemical properties of soils under different land-use/land-cover classes around Mount Cameroon. It depicts the impact of land management on these properties. The conversion of forest cover to other land-use classes leads to an increase in bulk density and clay content; and a decrease in soil organic carbon, nitrogen and water contents; confirming these properties as potential indicators of soil quality. The collection of samples in the field was preceded by the production of a land-use/land-cover (LULC) map of the area. Four major LULC classes were identified – farmland, forest, plantation and settlement. Sample points were chosen based on field realities – accessibility and representativeness of the given LULC class. Sixteen top soil (<20 cm) samples; 4 from each major LULC class, were collected and the coordinates recorded using a portable GPS. Two sets of samples were collected – one for the determination of bulk density and moisture content and the other set was used for the determination of soil separates and chemical parameters. The former set of samples were collected using a metal cylinder (6 cm diameter and 6 cm height). After clearing the debris, the metallic cylinder was carefully driven into the ground as to fill the entire cylinder without compressing the soil in it. The soil around the cylinder was excavated and the cylinder, with the core in place, was carefully removed by sliding a trowel under it. The mass of the core (wet soil) was determined in the field, using a sensitive digital scale balance (SF-400), and parceled in plastic papers, for oven drying in the laboratory. The latter set of samples were collected using a randomized complete block research design. For each earmarked area, representative plots of 10 m x 10 m were mapped out. After clearing the debris, top soil (0-20 cm) samples were collected from the four corners of the plot and the centre and bulked together to form a representative sample which was later air-dried and sieved to obtain the ≤2 mm faction.
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Bulk density was calculated as the ratio of the mass of the oven-dry sample to that of the bulk volume (Hao et al., 2008). Moisture content was determined by the thermogravimetric method; as the ratio of the loss in mass to the mass of the dry sample (Clarke Topp et al., 2008) . Particle size analysis was carried out using the hydrometer method as outlined by Kroetsch and Wang (2008). Soil organic carbon (SOC) was determined using the Walkley – Black wet oxidation method (Skjemstad & Baldock, 2008). Soil pH was determined in both water (pH(H2O)) and KCl (pH(KCl)) using a glass electrode Thermo-Russel pH meter (Hendershot et al., 2008). Available phosphorus (Pav) was determined using the Bray-II method (FAO, 2021a). Total nitrogen was determined using the Kjeldahl digestion method (FAO, 2021b). Cation exchange capacity (CEC) and exchangeable bases were determined using the 1N ammonium acetate (NH4OAc), pH 7.0 method extraction (FAO, 2022). References Clarke Topp, G., Parkin, G. W., & Ferre, T. P. A. (2008). Soil Water Content. In M. R. Carter & E. G. Gregorich (Eds.), Soil sampling and methods of analysis (pp. 939-961). Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. FAO. (2021a). Standard operating procedure for soil available phosphorus, Bray I and Bray II method. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 23/08/2022, from https://www.fao.org/3/cb3460en/cb3460en.pdf FAO. (2021b). Standard operating procedure for soil nitrogen - Kjeldahl method. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 23/08/2022, from https://www.fao.org/3/cb3642en/cb3642en.pdf FAO. (2022). Standard operating procedure for cation exchange capacity and exchangeable bases 1N ammonium acetate, pH 7.0 method. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 23/08/2022, from https://www.fao.org/3/cc1200en/cc1200en.pdf Hao, X., Ball, B. C., Culley, J. L. B., Carter, M. R., & Parkin, G. W. (2008). Soil Density and Porosity. In M. R. Carter & E. G. Gregorich (Eds.), Soil sampling and methods of analysis (pp. 743-759). Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Hendershot, W. H., Lalande, H., & Duquette, M. (2008). Soil reaction and exchangeable acidity. In M. R. Carter & E. G. Gregorich (Eds.), Soil sampling and methods of analysis (pp. 173-178). Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Kroetsch, D., & Wang, C. (2008). Particle Size Distribution. In M. R. Carter & E. G. Gregorich (Eds.), Soil sampling and methods of analysis (pp. 713-725). Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Skjemstad, J. O., & Baldock, J. A. (2008). Total and Organic Carbon. In M. R. Carter & E. G. Gregorich (Eds.), Soil sampling and methods of analysis (pp. 225-237). Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.