Impressionability of Some Soil Ecophysilogical Indices by land Use Changes in Suldoz Plain (Naqadeh, West Azarbaijan)

Soil ecophysilogical indices are very sensitive to changes in the soil ecosystem. This study was accomplished as factorial on the basis of randomized complete block design with two treatments containing land use and soil depth and five repetitions in an area of about 200 ha which has located in Mirabad region, Suldoz plain (west Azerbaijan, Iran). Three types of land use (pasture, cultivation and apple orchards), and two vertical soil depths (0-30 cm and 30-60 cm) were considered in this experiment. Soil basal and substrate induced respirations (BR and SIR), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), microbial biomass phosphorus (MBP), soil carbohydrates (SC) were measured as biological indices. Metabolic and microbial quotients (qCO2 and qmic) were determined as ecophysiological parameters. Some important soil physical and chemical properties such as organic carbon, pH, EC, carbonate calcium equivalent (CCE), soil texture and water aggregate stability (WAS) were also determined. Soil quality and health indices were significantly decreased in apple orchard and crop production fields compared to the intact grassland. Decline in BR in orchards and crop fields at 0-30 cm depth were 49.29% and 43.97%, and at 30-60 were 67.10% and 65.79%, respectively. The decrease in BR by increasing of soil depth in grassland, orchard and crop field were 54.79%, 49.98% and 52.95%, respectively. Soil quality and health indices were significantly decreased in apple orchard and crop production fields compared to the intact grassland.