Investigation of the effect of different land uses on some of physical and chemical properties of soil (Case study: Sarayan county, South Khorasan)

Nonscientific land use changes can have negative effects on desired physical and chemical properties of soil. In this regard, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of different land uses (factories, rangeland, agricultural lands including saffron and wheat cultivation) on soil physical properties including soil texture (percentage of sand, clay and silt) and soil chemical properties such as (pH, EC, %OM, Ca, Mg, Cl, So4 and N) in Sarayan region in South Khorasan province. The research was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications and six treatments. Treatments include different landuses, such as rangeland, wheat and barley use, saffron use and industrial landuse (Asphalt plant) at three distances of 50, 250 meters and 1000 meters. The results showed that the effect of different land uses on soil chemical properties such as pH, EC, Cl, So4, N, Mg and Ca is significant. Also, the effect of different landuses on soil physical properties such as the percentage of silt and sand, was significant. The results of soil chemical analysis showed that the factory located at a distance of 250 meters caused a significant increase in pH, EC, Ca, Mg, and Cl of the soil. Also, the results related to rangeland and agricultural use showed that saffron plant had the highest levels of pH, EC, Cl and So4 respectively (8.1, 2.6, 30 and 19.93) compared to rangeland and wheat. The effect of asphalt factory on chemical properties of soil to 250 meters had a significant effect on the growth of saffron plant, while the effect of distance on physical properties of soil to 50 meters was variable. The results obtained from this study showed that the use of unprincipled land use change reduces the quality indicators and the ability to use of soil and plants.