Plant cover diversity and land use impacts on spatial distribution of chemical soil properties using GIS

Authors

  • Bassem H. Mohsin 1Directorate of Agriculture in Karbala Governorate, Karbala, Iraq.
  • Salloom B. Salim 2Department of Soil Sciences and Water Resources, College of Agricultural Engineering Sci-ences, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59658/jkas.v12i3.4368

Abstract

This study  aims to investigate the effects of the difference in vegetation cover and land use on spatial distribution  of soil electrical conductivity (EC), cation exchange capacity (CEC) and  soluble ions.  Soil samples from sixty sites were randomly selected  on 14585 hectares area located at Algadwal Algharby in Karbala Governorate. Soil samples were collected to a depth of 0-0.3 m, air dried, ground and passed through a 2 mm sieve for laboratory analysis. The results showed that the EC values ranged from ( 1.02 to 53.40) dS m-1 and were greater in the  fallow soil  than the EC of soils with plant cover. Values of CEC ranged from (12.35 to  32.75) cmol+.kg-1   where lower CEC values  were obtained under fallow soils compared to cultivated soils. Generally the coefficients of  skewness and kurtosis revealed highly skewed distribution with leptokurtic and platykurtic distributions for the studied characteristics. Geostatistical parameters of the fitted semivariogram models resulted mostly in  strong  spatial dependence and circular matching model. The fallow soils contents from  soluble ions were greater than that of the plant-covered soils due to increasing salinity. 

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Published

09/14/2025

How to Cite

Bassem H. Mohsin, & Salloom B. Salim. (2025). Plant cover diversity and land use impacts on spatial distribution of chemical soil properties using GIS. Journal of Kerbala for Agricultural Sciences, 12(3), 340–366. https://doi.org/10.59658/jkas.v12i3.4368

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 3 (2025): volume 12 number 3 year 2025

Section

Articles

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