Dynamics of soil organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and aggregates stability under different grassland management types in the central Rift Valley, Ethiopia

Summary

Abstract Grassland management significantly influences soil organic carbon (SOC) and nutrient fluxes. This study investigated the effects of five distinct grassland management types on SOC, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in Ethiopia's Central Rift Valley. We collected soil samples from random grazing natural grasslands (random grazed); periodically mowed and grazed natural grasslands (mowed‐grazed); cultivated, fertilized, and mowed grasslands (cultivated‐mowed); periodically mowed area closure natural grasslands (mowed‐closed); and protected native forest grasslands (protected forest). We analyzed SOC, labile and stable C fractions, total N, total P, and soil aggregate indices using standard methods, also calculating the C management index and stability ratio. Our findings reveal signif