Determination of nutrition status of olive (Olea europaea. L.) orchards in hassa district of Hatay by means of leaf and soil samples

In this research, in order to determine the productivity and nutritional status of the olive plants in the Hassa District of Hatay Province, Turkey, 15 different olive orchards were randomly selected representing the region and from each orchard soil samples from two different depths (0-30 cm and 30-60 cm) and leaf samples were collected. Some physical and chemical properties and plant nutrient contents of the soil and leaf samples were determined, and the nutritional status of the orchards was tried to be revealed by comparing them with the limit values. According to the results obtained from the research, there are 6 different structure class of soil comprised of 36.67% sandy clay loam, 20.00% clay loam, 16.67% clayey, 13.33% sandy loam, 10.00% loam, 3.33% silty clay. All the samples have mild acid and slightly alkaline reaction, only one sample is salty and calcareous, while the rest of the samples are unsalted, calcareous and insufficient in organic matter. In terms of nutrients, 70% of the soil samples were determined to be insufficient in terms of nitrogen, following ratios of samples for deficiencies were 26.66% in phosphorus, 43.33% in potassium, 66.66% in calcium, 36.67% in magnesium, 13.33% in zinc and 100% in boron. On the other hand, 13.33% of the olive leaf samples taken from the orchards were found to be deficient in phosphorus, 40.0% in potassium, 73.33% in calcium, 93.33% in magnesium, 53.33% in copper, 26.67% in manganese and 13.33% in zinc. As a result, when the soil and leaf analyses of the olive growing orchards in the Hassa District of Hatay were examined, it was determined that some plant nutrients were sufficient in the soils while they were insufficient in the leaves. However, it was determined that some plant nutrients were deficient in the soil, while they were not sufficient in olive leaves. For this reason, it is recommended to create an accurate plant nutrition plan by performing soil and leaf analyses of olive orchards in the region and conscious fertilization studies based on these results for high quality and abundant products.