Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
EUROSOIL 2021, Geneve, İsviçre, 23 - 27 Ağustos 2021, ss.353
Soil carbon stock and structural stability are the key soil quality indicators of agroecosystems resilience to the degradation. The objective of this study was to investigate the spatial variability of soil carbon stock (SCS) and structural stability index (SSI) of Vertisols in Çukurova region, Turkey. Surface soil samples (0-20 cm) were collected within the borders of Arıklı soil, the most common Vertisol in the Çukurova Region, in September 2018. Forty-nine disturbed and undisturbed soil samples were taken from nodes of 250 m x 250 m grids in 1.5 km x 1.5 km sampling area. Additional 42 soil samples were collected to determine the variation at distances shorter than 250 m. Organic carbon, bulk density and particle size distribution of soil samples were analyzed to calculate the SCS and SSI. Spatial variability of SCS and SSI were modelled and spherical model as the best fitted model were used to map SCS and SSI in the study area. The SCS and SSI values varied from 15.8 to 40.1 t.ha-1 and from 1.29 to 3.21%, respectively. The spatial dependence of SCS and SSI, which has a coefficient of variation of 17.5% and 17.0%, was determined by using nugget and sill as 22.1% and 27.0%, respectively. Low SSI values (SSI≤5%) in Arıklı soil which can be attributed to the low soil organic carbon, indicated a serious risk of soil structural degradation throughout the study area. The results revealed that agricultural practices used in region are serious threat for degrading the soil structure; thus, decreasing the functioning potential of Vertisols.