{
  "abstract": "Soil fertility variability is a major constraint to agricultural productivity in Ethiopian highlands, yet uniform nutrient management persists due to inadequate characterization of spatial heterogeneity. This study addressed the need for site-specific nutrient management zones (MZs) in Aroressa district, Sidama region. One hundred fifty-four soil samples (77 disturbed, 77 undisturbed) were collected from 0 to 20 cm depth. Analysis included pH, organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (av.P), exchangeable cations (K, Ca, Mg), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and bulk density (BD). Geostatistical analysis with semi-variogram modeling and ordinary kriging mapped spatial distribution. Principal component analysis (PCA) reduced dimensionality, and Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) clustering delineated MZs, validated by ANOVA. Soils were strongly to moderately acidic (mean pH 5.19), with critically low TN (0.19%), moderate OC (2.40%), and highly heterogeneous K (CV 62.2%) and av.P (CV 32.8%). Semi-variogram models showed moderate to strong spatial dependence for most nutrients (range: 19.7–317 m). PCA retained three components explaining 71.73% variance. Five optimal MZs were delineated, significantly differentiating all soil properties (p < 0.01). MZ delineation reduced within-zone variability substantially: K (74.2%), CEC (51.0%), OC (49.3%), BD (54.7%), and av.P (40.2%). The PCA-FCM approach effectively captured soil fertility gradients, with Zone 5 showing highest fertility (CEC 35.3 cmol(+)/kg, K 1.33 cmol(+)/kg) and Zone 4 the most acidic (pH 4.66). Results support transitioning from uniform to site-specific nutrient management, with variable-rate K and P fertilization, targeted liming, and zone-specific organic matter restoration strategies.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Soil Resource and Watershed Management, College of Agriculture and Natural Resource, Werabe University",
    "School of Plant and Horticultural Sciences, collage of Agriculture, Hawassa University"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mengistu Liramo Aja"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Shimelis Gizachew"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Wassie Haile"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/39wj33bsm4sda.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41598-026-62885-6",
  "fulltext_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-62885-6",
  "id": "39wj33bsm4sda",
  "issns": [
    "2045-2322"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-62885-6",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "lcc",
      "Q"
    ],
    [
      "lcc",
      "R"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2305|Soil Geostatistics and Mapping"
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  "openalex": "W7169734864",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-62885-6_reference.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-07-01",
  "publisher": "Nature Portfolio",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/39wj33bsm4sda.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T13:45:56Z",
      "native_id": "29f7f94fa5ef4cf499a1c59554248fea",
      "source": "doaj",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-62885-6"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "openalex:2305|Soil Geostatistics and Mapping",
      "subfield": "environmental-science"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Delineation of site-specific nutrient management zones using PCA and fuzzy C-means clustering in Aroressa district, Sidama region, Ethiopia",
  "title_text": "Delineation of site-specific nutrient management zones using PCA and fuzzy C-means clustering in Aroressa district, Sidama region, Ethiopia",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T13:45:56Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/39wj33bsm4sda",
  "venue": "Scientific Reports",
  "versions": []
}