Abstract:

Objective: Examining the land use areas by considering the topographic features is important in terms of protecting natural resources, ensuring traceability and sustainability in agriculture. In this study, the determination of physico-chemical properties and fertility status of soils under different altitude and different land use in Beşikdüzü District of Trabzon Province were investigated. Materials and Methods: For this purpose, 20 districts representing two different land use types (hazelnut and forest) according to physiographic conditions were evaluated. Soil sampling was done from hazelnut areas in 12 districts in the coastal and middle altitude and from hazelnut-forest areas in 8 districts in the high altitude. In soil samples taken from two different depth levels (0-30 cm, 30-60 cm), physical properties such as texture, bulk density, moisture characteristics, percentage of hydraulic, percentage of macro and micro pores, hydraulic conductivity and chemical properties such as pH, organic matter, lime, electrical conductivity were determined. Total nitrogen, available phosphorus and potassium for plant, and total iron, manganese and zinc nutrient elements analyzes were carried out in order to reveal the productivity of the research area. Results The hazelnut lands located in the coastal and middle altitudes are dominated by loam, clay loam and sandy loam, and forest areas located in the high altitude are sandy clay loam and sandy loam. As the altitude increased depending on different land use, the bulk density of the soil increased in forest lands. Soils at all altitudes for both lands have mild acid reaction, lime-free and no salinity problems. The amount of organic matter content was lower in hazelnut lands compared to forest areas and generally classified as medium and high. Total nitrogen content was sufficient in hazelnut lands and lower in forest areas, even so, 59% was classificated more-too much class. Phosphorus content of 32% of the soils were too much, potassium content of 64% was very high class. Iron content was sufficient in all soils, zinc content was well in 82%, and manganese content was sufficient in 43%. While the fertility of the soils increased from the coast to the higher altitude and decreased depending on the the soil depth. Conclusion: It has been determined that the physico-chemical properties and nutritional status of the soils change depending on the land use, altitude and depth, and there is no significant deficiency problem in general. It is thought that it will make an important scientific contribution to the creation of a soil database for Beşikdüzü district.

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