Soil chemistry in apricot cultivation: evaluation of C and N dynamics by PCA and correlation analysis

Year 2025, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 360 - 373, 26.06.2025

Asuman Büyükkılıç Yanardağ

https://doi.org/10.31015/2025.2.10

Abstract

This study uses statistical methods to analyze soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics in four different apricot growing regions (Battalgazi, Akçadağ, Doğanşehir and Hekimhan) in Malatya. Correlation analysis, hierarchical clustering (HCA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were applied to examine the relationships between soil organic matter (OM), soluble carbon (Soluble C), biomass nitrogen (Biomass N), total nitrogen (N) and other soil chemical parameters. According to the results obtained, a strong positive correlation (r = 0.67) was found between organic matter (OM) and total nitrogen (N), indicating that the organic matter content in the soil contributes directly to the nitrogen mineralization process. Positive correlations were found between soluble carbon (Soluble C) and biomass carbon (Biomass C) and N, indicating that microbial activity and carbon cycling in soil are directly related to nitrogen dynamics. In PCA analysis, the first two principal components (PC1 and PC2) explained 82.1% of the total variance. The PC1 axis is related to soil macronutrients (C, N, K, P) and organic matter content, while the PC2 axis is related to lime (CaCO₃), pH and micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn). When the regional distribution is analyzed, Battalgazi and Doğanşehir show similar chemical characteristics, while Hekimhan is differentiated by high pH and lime content. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) shows that Battalgazi and Doğanşehir have similar soil characteristics, but Akçadağ and especially Hekimhan have different soil composition. Hekimhan's high CaCO₃ content and alkaline pH level may negatively affect productivity by suppressing organic matter and nitrogen levels. The results of this study can contribute to the development of soil management strategies in apricot farming in Malatya. In particular, organic matter management, pH regulation strategies and optimization of macro/micro nutrient balance are needed. A detailed study of C and N cycles is a critical step for sustainable soil management and improving the productivity of apricot production.

Keywords

Apricot , Carbon , Nitrogen , PCA , Correlation Soil

Ethical Statement

Peer-review Externally peer-reviewed. Declaration of Interests The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Author contribution The author read and approved the final manuscript. The author verifies that the Text, Figures, and Tables are original and that they have not been published before.

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