. 2023 Jul 16;9(7):e18332. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18332

Table 6.

The effect of conservation and slope classes on soil chemical properties.

Soil chemical properties	Slope class	Nada sub-watershed		Gulufa sub-watershed
Soil chemical properties	Slope class	Conserved	Non-conserved	Conserved	Non-conserved
pH (H₂O)	Lower	5.42^a	4.70^b	5.35^a	4.96^b
	middle	5.02^a	4.49^b	5.19^a	4.67^b
	Upper	4.86^a	4.35^b	5.08^a	4.32^b
SOM (%)	Lower	3.47^a	2.59^b	4.35^a	2.60^b
	middle	2.94^a	2.24^b	3.43^a	2.13^b
	Upper	2.76^a	1.78^b	3.23^a	1.59^b
SOC (%)	Lower	2.02^a	1.50^b	2.52^a	1.51^b
	middle	1.70^a	1.30^b	1.99^a	1.24^b
	Upper	1.60^a	1.04^b	1.87^a	0.92^b
TN (%)	Lower	0.17^a	0.13^b	0.22^a	0.13^b
	middle	0.15^a	0.11^b	0.17^a	0.11^b
	Upper	0.14^a	0.09^b	0.16^a	0.08^b
CEC (cmol (+)/kg)	Lower	34.30^a	30.06^b	30.16^a	24.57^b
	middle	33.26^a	27.69^b	29.27^a	22.51^b
	Upper	31.50^a	26.24^b	26.99^a	19.99^b
Av.P (ppm)	Lower	23.46^a	18.78^a	18.20^a	13.33^a
	middle	20.57^a	17.34^a	15.41^a	10.89a
	Upper	17.43^a	14.69^a	13.40^a	10.27^a
EA (cmol (+)/kg)	Lower	0.72^b	1.38^b	0.64^b	1.34^a
	middle	1.13^b	1.53^b	0.79^b	1.52^a
	Upper	1.33^b	1.76^b	0.96^b	2.35^a
Al³⁺ (cmol (+)/kg)	Lower	0.43^a	1.02^a	0.35^b	1.09^a
	middle	0.76^a	1.29^a	0.63^b	1.19^a
	Upper	1.00^a	1.49^a	0.65^b	1.43^a
H⁺ (cmol (+)/kg)	Lower	0.29^a	0.37^a	0.29^a	0.26^a
	middle	0.37^a	0.24^a	0.17^a	0.33^a
	Upper	0.33^a	0.27^a	0.30^b	0.93^a

pH – hydrogen ion concentration; SOC – soil organic carbon; SOM – soil organic matter; TN – total nitrogen; CEC – cation exchange capacity; Av. P – available phosphorus; EA – exchangeable acidity; Al³⁺ – exchangeable aluminum and H⁺ – exchangeable hydrogen. Mean values followed by different letters (a, b, c) in the superscript along the same rows are for conservation difference within similar slope positions, and letters (a, b, c) in the subscript along the same column is slope difference are statistically different at P ≤ 0.05. ppm is parts per million. 1 ppm = 1 mg/kg.