Relationships between of Carbon, Nitrogen Stocks and Texture of the Harran Plain Soils in Southeastern Turkey

E. SAKIN
University of Harran Faculty of Agriculture Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Osmanbey Campus, 63040 Sanliurfa, Turkey

Abstract

SAKIN, E., 2012. Relationships between of carbon, nitrogen stocks and texture of the Harran plain soils in Southeastern Turkey. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 18: 626-634

Present studies have focused on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stocks of soils because of increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) and terrestrial ecosystems with wide N storages. Total C amounts were between 3.61 and 6.47 kg C m^-2 and total nitrogen amounts were between 0.73 and 0.99 kg C m^-2. C:N ratios were between 4.3:1 and 6.0:1 and bulk density (BD) was between 1.23–1.34 Mg m^-3. Carbon and N stocks were determined as 10.53 Tg C and 1.96 Tg N, respectively. A highly significant relationship existed between carbon and nitrogen contents (R² = 0.99; p < 0.01). Soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration was found to be directly related to soil texture at all depths. A very strong relationship was found between SOC and soil texture in Harran Plain soils. According to statistical analyses (p < 0.001), the strongest relationship was detected between SOC and clay (R² = 0.96) and silt (R²=0.95). The relationship between sand and SOC was determined as (R² = 0.65). The findings indicated that, in practice, areas containing low carbon should be preferred for use in carbon storage rather than areas containing high carbon stocks.

Key words: Carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, nitrogen, carbon, C:N ratios, soil texture
Abbreviations: C, carbon; SOC, soil organic carbon; N, nitrogen; SAR, Southeast Anatolia Region; BD, bulk density; SOM, soil organic matter; CV, coefficient of variation; TSMS, Turkish state meteorological service

See the article as a PDF.