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ABSTRACT
Land use is generally defined as the way humans modify the natural environment for different purposes. This study aim investigate the impact of various land use practices on soil chemical properties and the concentration of micronutrients. Soil samples were collected from multiple sites representing each land use type. Various soil chemical properties, such as pH, organic matter content, and Available P were analyzed using standard laboratory techniques. The concentration of micronutrients include: iron, zinc, copper and manganese which was also determined in the Laboratory. The zinc content was observed to be highest in the AGR (3.76) and is significantly different at 15-30cm depth in the Teak plantation. The iron content recorded it's highest value (9.04mg/kg) in the 0-15cm depth. At 0-15cm and 15-30 cm depth Teak differ significantly different in the Agric Farm at 0-15cm depth. The manganese content is found significantly different in the Teak plantation (2.95mg/kg) at 0-15cm soil depth and range from the highest (11.10mg/kg) to the lowest (2.95mg/kg). The copper content reported no significant difference in all three soil depth and ranged from highest (1.85mg/kg) to lowest (0.08mg/kg). This positively and negatively significantly correlation of the micro nutrient with some soil properties found in this study indicates the influence of soil properties on the different micro nutrient amongst the different land use. It was observed that some chemical properties significantly correlated with the micro-nutrient content both positively and negatively. Zinc negatively significantly correlated with TN (-0.116 P < 0.05) at 0- 15cm soil depth, and positively significantly correlated with Available P (0.783 P < 0.05). At 15-30cm soil depth, Zinc positively significantly correlated with pH (0.866 P< 0.05 and 0.01). And negatively significantly correlated with EA (-0.701 P < 0.05). Zinc content at 15-30cm soil depth positively significantly correlated with AP (0.741 P < 0.05). In conclusion Land use practices significantly influence soil chemical properties and have distinct impacts on soil pH, organic matter content e.t.c. Agricultural fields exhibited lower pH and organic matter content in the 0-15cm and 30-45cm depth compared to forested areas and urban environments.
