Evaluation of the Physicochemical Properties of Alluvial and Colluvial Soils Formed Under Ustic Moisture Regime Using Multivariate Geostatistical Techniques

Abstract

The purpose of this study, which was carried out in the areas of Amasya Gökhöyük Agricultural Enterprise, Turkey, was to determine area management factors that will induce management practices unique to alluvial and colluvial areas using multivariate geostatistical techniques. Physical and chemical analyses were done for 224 soil samples taken at 0–30 cm depth from Entisol and Inceptisol soils. Based on the factor analysis results of the data set prepared, factors were determined, and these factors were named to as soil texture, soil organic matter, fertilization, and pH. While the texture factor accounted for the highest variability with 32.17% and the pH factor accounted for the lowest variability with 10.45%, the four factors together accounted for 79.17% of the total variance. According to the spatial distribution maps, soil texture and soil organic matter factors reached the highest values in alluvial areas close to Çekerek Creek while fertilization factor reached the highest values in colluvial areas. However, pH showed a relatively more homogenous distribution and reached its highest values in areas close to the transition zone of alluvial and colluvial areas. Based on these results, it can be seen that the aforementioned factors are the most important soil factors for these areas. © 2014 Taylor & Francis.