TY - JOUR A2 - Clemente, Rafael AU - Yitbarek, Teshome AU - Beyene, Shelem AU - Kibret, Kibebew PY - 2016 DA - 2016/12/19 TI - Characterization and Classification of Soils of Abobo Area, Western Ethiopia SP - 4708235 VL - 2016 AB - Knowledge of the kinds and properties of soils is critical for making decisions with respect to crop production and other land use types. A field survey and soil morphological description and laboratory analysis were carried out to describe, characterize, and classify the soils of Abobo area, western Ethiopia. Seven representative pedons (A-1 to A-7) were opened and described across the study area. The results revealed variation in morphological, physical, and chemical properties of the soils. The soils are clay loam to clayey in texture with bulk density values ranging from 1.12 to 1.32 g cm⁻³and basic infiltration rate varying from slow to moderate (0.4 to 3.3 cm hr⁻¹). They were moderately acidic to neutral in pH (5.5 to 7.1) and had very low to medium organic carbon (OC) (0.27 to 2.98%). Four soil types, Haplic Cambisols, Vertic Luvisols, Mollic Leptosols, and Mollic Vertisols, were identified in the area based on World Reference Base. Generally, the properties of the soils differed along the transect indicating their variation in productive potential and management requirements for specific agricultural use. SN - 1687-7667 UR - https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/4708235 DO - 10.1155/2016/4708235 JF - Applied and Environmental Soil Science PB - Hindawi Publishing Corporation KW - ER -