The problem of soil quality degradation has been becoming more severe in the highlands of Ethiopia due to soil erosion; land use and land cover change, and poor land management. The level of soil quality degradation was not well known and documented in the study area and the results of this study could provide new information to improve soil conditions. The present study was conducted to evaluate soil quality in terms of its physical and chemical fertility under different land use types in the Suha watershed, northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. A total of 27 composite surface soil samples (0–30 cm) were collected from adjacently located land-uses in three replications from two elevation gradients. Standard procedures were followed to analyze selected soil physical and chemical quality indicators. The differences in the mean values of the parameters were tested using a two-way analysis of variance. In addition, Soil Quality Degradation Index was evaluated to see the direction and magnitude of change in soil quality indicators. The analysis of variance results revealed that soil quality indicators such as index of soil aggregate stability, organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), and C:N ratio were significantly decreased in the cultivated land use system compared to other land use systems. On the other hand, the content of available Phosphorus was significantly higher in the cultivated land. Soil quality deterioration index values were highly negative for SOC (− 71.3%) and TN (− 67.7%) in the cultivated land, followed by grazing land (SOM = − 35.5% and TN = − 27.7%). Aggregated Soil Quality Index values also indicated that the status of soil quality under cultivated fields is rated as low, grazing land as optimal, and forest land as high. Generally, results indicated that land use and cover changes had adverse effects on soil quality indicators. Hence, soil management strategies, mainly Integrated Soil Fertility Management which integrates soil and water conservation strategies, are required to alleviate the problem of soil quality deterioration and improve agricultural productivity.

中文翻译：

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监测不同土地利用系统的土壤质量：以埃塞俄比亚西北高地苏哈流域为例

埃塞俄比亚高原地区由于水土流失，土壤质量退化问题日益严重；土地利用和土地覆盖变化以及土地管理不善。研究区域的土壤质量退化程度尚不清楚，也没有记录，本研究的结果可以为改善土壤状况提供新的信息。本研究旨在评估埃塞俄比亚西北高地苏哈流域不同土地利用类型下的土壤质量的物理和化学肥力。总共 27 个复合表层土壤样本（0-30 厘米）是从两个海拔梯度的三个重复中从邻近的土地利用中收集的。按照标准程序分析选定的土壤物理和化学质量指标。使用双向方差分析来测试参数平均值的差异。此外，还评价土壤质量退化指数，了解土壤质量指标变化的方向和幅度。方差分析结果显示，与其他土地利用体系相比，耕地利用体系的土壤团聚稳定性指数、有机碳（OC）、全氮（TN）、C:N比等土壤质量指标均显着下降。 。另一方面，耕地速效磷含量明显较高。耕地的土壤质量恶化指数值呈高度负值，其中 SOC（− 71.3%）和 TN（− 67.7%），其次是牧地（SOM = − 35.5% 和 TN = − 27.7%）。土壤质量指数综合值还表明，耕地土壤质量状况为低，牧地为优，林地为高。一般来说，结果表明土地利用和覆盖变化对土壤质量指标有不利影响。因此，需要采取土壤管理策略，主要是整合水土保持策略的土壤肥力综合管理，以缓解土壤质量恶化问题并提高农业生产力。