Short-term impacts of agricultural land-use types on selected soil properties in the tropics

Management practices in different agricultural land uses impact soil quality and environmental protection. This study investigated the effects of agrarian land-use types on soil properties and nutrient stocks across different soil depths. Soil samples were collected from three land uses (paddock, conventional farm, and organic farm) at three depths (0–15, 15–30, and 30–45 cm) with three sampling points as replicates. Soil samples were analyzed for physical and chemical properties. The results showed that the soils of the study area were predominantly sandy, with the lowest bulk density under the organic farm. Organic material deposition led to higher organic carbon content under organic farm and paddock than in conventional farm. Soil pH was slightly acidic across the land uses and was lowest under the conventional farm (5.97). Phosphorus was generally low across (0.63–2.51 mg kg− 1) the land uses. The high effective cation exchange capacity under organic farm suggests better cation storage, which was higher in the topsoil. Soil organic carbon stock across the soil depth was 43.0% and 50.1% lower, while nitrogen stock was 22.9% and 37.2% lower under conventional farm than in organic farm and paddock, respectively. These findings underscore the benefits of sustainable land management practices, such as manure application and minimal soil disturbance, in enhancing soil quality, nutrient availability, and carbon storage.