Soil structure of pistachio cultivation areas in Turkey and comparison with border lines

Abstract

Pistachio orchards and the frontier zone which had been laid with mines for a long time were determined as research area. Soil samples from mined area, cultural practices applied (use of pesticides, soil tillage and artificial fertilizers) and naturally growing pistachio orchards were taken to compare physical, chemical, biological characteristics and heavy metal contents. Experimental soils generally consisted of clay, clayey-loamy, silted-loamy, sandy loamy clay and loamy, included alkalireaction and were limy. The soil samples were salt-free and inadequate in terms of organic substances and total amount of N. The amount of K and Mg was fairly at high-levels and soil samples were poor in terms of extractive content of Fe. Moreover, amount of Mn and Zn was very low. Soil samples of our research area included high toxic level of lead. While there was a significant difference (P<0.05) among all areas in respect to the number of total aerobic mesophilic viable, it was found that the least number was in the mine fields and the highest number was in fields which were treated. The data obtained through this study is the first report on detailed soil structure analyses of the pistachio orchards and their comparison with mined area in Turkey.

Relationship between soil composition, diversity and antifungal properties ofBacillusspp. isolated from southeastern Anatolia

“…Moreover, the WA results indicated that the aforementioned Bacillus species preferred low metal concentrations. The sites of Area III were associated with high Zn and Mn levels [9] and were characterized by B. amyloliquefaciens, B. mycoides, and B. pumilus assemblages (Figure 3). The results from the multivariable approach indicated that the aforementioned Bacillus species had high tolerance to Zn and Mn.…”

“…Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to examine the relationship between Bacillus species and environmental variables including macro-and microelements (N, P, Ca, Fe, Mn, Mg, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, and Cr), physical and chemical properties [Electrical Conductivity (dSm-1), soil pH, lime % (CaCO 3 ) and organic matter] of soil samples obtained from a previous study [9]. Environmental variables were transformed (ln(x þ 1), except for pH to decrease skewness [31].…”

“…The Southeastern Anatolia region produces 90% of the total pistachio nuts in Turkey, providing considerable economic income. Extensive fungicide application during each pistachio nut growth season results in heavy metal deposition in the soil, which causes environmental pollution [9]. Integrated pest management of crop plants considers the use of biological control agents, and Bacillus spp.…”