Abstract
In the study, two geostatistical methods—Ordinary Kriging (OK) and Least Distance Weighting (IDW)—were utilized to predict the spatial variability and distribution of soil properties for improved nutrient management in the Fogera plain, Northwest Ethiopia. In an area of 5646 ha, 60 composite soil samples were collected at a 0–20-cm soil depth and analyzed for soil pH, organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (av.P), exchangeable calcium (Ca2+), potassium (K+), sodium (Na+), and magnesium (Mg2+), electrical conductivity (EC), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) using standard analytical procedures. The data were then incorporated into a GIS database and semi-variogram, and geostatistical analyses were performed with ArcGIS software version 10.5. Descriptive statistical treatments were applied using IBM Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 24. The performance of interpolation methods was assessed using the mean error (ME), root mean square error (RMSE), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), and coefficient of determination (R2) extracted from cross-validation of predicted maps. Analysis of different semi-variogram models depicts different degrees of spatial dependence. An exponential model is detected for the soil pH, CEC, OC, and TN; a spherical one for EC and Ca2+; a moderate one for soil K+; and a weak spatial dependence for soil av. P. This result demonstrates a high spatial continuity and dependence between adjacent soil samples. The inverse distance weighting (IDW) and ordinary kriging (OK) models well described the variation of all soil fertility parameters except organic carbon (OC) and available phosphorus (av. P), which had low NSE (≤ 50%) for both IDW and OK methods. Consequently, the generated maps revealed that the spatial variability of soil properties was adequate to predict the values of soil fertility indicators in the non-sampled locations within the study area and similar regions. The geostatistical-based soil fertility maps will be helpful for farmers, researchers, and policymakers to improve soil management methods, optimize fertilization strategies, and enhance crop productivity. By means of the methodological approach applied, we have succeeded in demonstrating the strong spatial dependence of the studied soils; however, a particular attention to the implementation of site-specific soil management practices in the Fogera plain is essential.
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Acknowledgements
The first author is a Ph.D. candidate in Soil Science at Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia. The Amhara Regional Soil Laboratory Center was greatly recognized for laboratory analysis for this study. We gratefully acknowledged Debre Tabor University and Bahir Dar University for the scholarship. The authors accredited the reviewers and the editors for their valuable suggestions and feedback on this paper’s early version.
Funding
This study is financially supported by Debre Tabor University and Bahir Dar University.
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Gizachew Ayalew Tiruneh designed the method and wrote the draft manuscript. Tiringo Yilak Alemayehu collected data, analyzed, and interpreted the results. Faiza Khebour Allouche and José Miguel Reichert analyzed and interpreted the results, reviewed, and commented on the paper.
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The Research and Publication Directorates of Debre Tabor University and Bahir Dar University approved the current research to collect soil samples and access the field site. As the present research has no negative impacts on human beings, farmers allowed us to collect the soil samples in the study region.
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The authors declare no competing interests.
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Communicated by Amjad Kallel.
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Tiruneh, G.A., Alemayehu, T.Y., Allouche, F.K. et al. Spatial variability modeling of soil fertility for improved nutrient management in Northwest Ethiopia. Arab J Geosci 14, 2797 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-08814-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-08814-5