Variations in soil properties along three toposequences in Burkina Faso and implications for the development of improved cropping systems |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Civil Engineering, P/Bag 0061, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana;2. Department of Environmental Science, P/Bag 00704, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana;3. Department of Biosystems Engineering, Gulu University, P.O. Box 166, Gulu, Uganda;1. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, Providence, RI, United States;2. Virtues of Attention Project, New York University, New York, United States;3. Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, United States;4. Director of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Recovery Services, Cheshire County Department of Corrections, Keene, NH, United States;5. Stanley Street Treatment and Resource, Fall River, MA, United States;6. Department of Psychology, Suffolk University, Boston, MA, United States;7. Cogut Center for the Humanities, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States;1. Department of Geography, Geo-Informatics and Climatic Sciences, Makerere University, PO Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda;2. Department of Geographical and Environmental Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa;3. School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China;4. College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China;5. Department of Agricultural Production, Makerere University, Uganda;1. Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran;2. Department of Earth and Geoenvironmental Sciences, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy;3. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Yamagata University, Yamagata, Japan |
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| Abstract: | Three toposequences representing different stages in the degradation process were studied for the Sudanian Savanna zone of Burkina Faso. Morphological, chemical and mineralogical soil data are presented for the major toposequence land types easily recognized in the landscape.Owing to their low initial fertility, most soils of uplands and upper and mid-slopes are prone to rapid degradation when cultivation is intensified and fallow periods are shortened due to growing populations and the presence of growing animal herds. Once the permanent vegetation has been removed, these soils tend to develop dense surface crusts which reduce moisture infiltration, thereby increasing runoff and erosion as well as the risks of drought. By contrast, the soils of the lower slopes are more fertile and their moisture availability is more assured. The lowland soils are generally the most fertile but may suffer from occasional waterlogging. The local agriculture will often permanently occupy the lower slopes and lowland fields, whereas the higher fields will be in fallow systems. The cropping systems vary simultaneously among different land types. Based on the soil studies and crop adaptation patterns to toposequence land types, certain modifications to the present cropping systems and cultural practices are proposed to developed more stable and sustainable production systems for upland areas in particular. |
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