Author(s)

Frank Abigail Sobze Kenfack^1*, Georges Kogge Kome², Achille Bienvenue Ibrahim¹, Viviane Pauline Mandah^3,4, Dieudonne Bitondo¹

¹Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences (FASA), University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon.
²Department of Land Surveying, National Advanced School of Public Works, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
³International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Cameroon, Eco-Regional Center HFS, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
⁴Department of Earth Science, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon.

This study was conducted to assess the current stock of soil organic carbon under different agricultural land uses, soil types and soil depths in the Noun plain in western Cameroon. Three sites were selected for the study, namely Mangoum, Makeka and Fossang, representative of the three dominant soil types of the noun plain (Andosols, Acrisols and Ferralsols). Three land uses were selected per site including natural vegetation, agroforest and crop field. Soil was sampled at three depths; 0 - 20 cm, 20 - 40 cm, and 40 - 60 cm. Analysis of variance showed that soil type did not significantly influence carbon storage, but rather land uses and soil depth. SOCS decreased significantly with depth in all the sites, with an average stock of 66.3 ± 15.8 tC/ha at 0 - 20 cm, compared to an average stock of 33.3 ± 7.4 tC/ha at 40 - 60 cm. SOCS was significantly highest in the natural formation with 57.2 ± 19.7 tC/ha, and lowest in cultivated fields, at 37.7 ± 10.6 tC/ha. Andosols, with their high content of coarse fragments, stored less organic carbon than Ferralsols and Acrisols.

Carbon Stocks, Soil Type, Soil Depth, Agricultural Land Use, Noun Plain

Kenfack, F. , Kome, G. , Ibrahim, A. , Mandah, V. and Bitondo, D. (2024) Soil Organic Carbon Stock Variation under Different Soil Types and Land Uses in the Sub-Humid Noun Plain, Western Cameroon. Open Journal of Soil Science, 14, 191-209. doi: 10.4236/ojss.2024.144011.