Physical and chemical properties of aksaray kocaş agricultural enterprise soils

The sustainability of agricultural production largely depends on the physical and chemical properties of soils. Soil is not merely a production medium; it should be considered a complex and dynamic system that directly affects crop production processes through factors such as water holding capacity, aeration, availability of nutrient elements, and biological activity. In this context, the study was conducted on approximately 25,000 decares of agricultural land belonging to Koçaş Agricultural Enterprises, located in the Yeşilova Town of Aksaray Province. The aim of the research was to determine the physical and chemical properties of the soils in the enterprise, to analyze their effects on agricultural production, and to evaluate soil fertility based on the obtained data. In the study, physical and chemical analyses were performed on surface soil samples taken from a depth of 0–20 cm at 73 sampling points representing the area. The analyses included texture, particle density, bulk density, porosity, field capacity, wilting point, available water content, aggregate stability, breaking value, dispersion ratio, plastic limit, liquid limit, shrinkage limit, EC, pH, lime, organic matter, exchangeable cations, and water-soluble cations. Additionally, derived parameters such as clay ratio, Boekel ratio, and structure stability index were also calculated. The clay content of the soil samples ranged from 10.2% to 41.6%, silt content from 4% to 41%, sand content from 42.4% to 70.4%, particle density from 2.2 to 2.7 g cm⁻³, bulk density from 1.31 to 1.55 g cm⁻³, porosity from 35% to 50.5%, field capacity from 20.76% to 36.23%, wilting point from 5.5% to 19%, available water from 4.6% to 23.5%, aggregate stability from 16.4% to 74.7%, dispersion ratio from 13.7% to 58%, plastic limit from 14.6% to 40.3%, liquid limit from 36% to 77%, pH from 7.7 to 8.9, EC from 236 to 2575 μS cm⁻¹, lime content from 6.6% to 22.2%, and organic matter from 1.03% to 2.97%. As a result of the correlation analyses, significant relationships were found between aggregate stability and silt, clay, dispersion ratio, plastic limit, liquid limit, clay ratio, Boekel ratio, and structure stability index. The results revealed that the soils in the enterprise's land have heterogeneous properties and that signs of physical degradation are present in some areas. This highlights the importance of developing soil management strategies that take local characteristics into account when planning agricultural production.