Dataset of routine physical and chemical properties of soils under different land-use/land-cover classes in the Mount Cameroon area

The data is on selected physical and chemical properties of soils under different land-use/land-cover classes around Mount Cameroon. It depicts the impact of land management on these properties. The conversion of forest cover to other land-use classes leads to an increase in bulk density and clay content; and a decrease in soil organic carbon, nitrogen and water contents; confirming these properties as potential indicators of soil quality.

The collection of samples in the field was preceded by the production of a land-use/land-cover (LULC) map of the area. Four major LULC classes were identified – farmland, forest, plantation and settlement. Sample points were chosen based on field realities – accessibility and representativeness of the given LULC class. Sixteen top soil (<20 cm) samples; 4 from each major LULC class, were collected and the coordinates recorded using a portable GPS.

Two sets of samples were collected – one for the determination of bulk density and moisture content and the other set was used for the determination of soil separates and chemical parameters. The former set of samples were collected using a metal cylinder (6 cm diameter and 6 cm height). After clearing the debris, the metallic cylinder was carefully driven into the ground as to fill the entire cylinder without compressing the soil in it. The soil around the cylinder was excavated and the cylinder, with the core in place, was carefully removed by sliding a trowel under it. The mass of the core (wet soil) was determined in the field, using a sensitive digital scale balance (SF-400), and parceled in plastic papers, for oven drying in the laboratory. The latter set of samples were collected using a randomized complete block research design. For each earmarked area, representative plots of 10 m x 10 m were mapped out. After clearing the debris, top soil (0-20 cm) samples were collected from the four corners of the plot and the centre and bulked together to form a representative sample which was later air-dried and sieved to obtain the ≤2 mm faction.