2. Materials and methods
2.1. Description of the study area
This study was carried out in the Çankırı-Kızılırmak district
in the Central Anatolian region of Turkey (Figure 1). The
study area is located between 4475 and 4465 km N and
580 and 590 km E (UTM) and covers about 1508 ha. The
underlying parent material within the study area consists
primarily of quaternary alluvial deposits. Alluvial soils,
formed by the Kızılırmak River as accumulated sediments
deposited at different times, show large variations in their
properties over short distances. The study area lies at
an elevation of approximately 730 m. The climate in the
region is semiarid, and the average temperature in August
is 23.8 °C and in January is –1.2 °C. The mean annual
temperature, rainfall, and evaporation are 11.8 °C, 349.7
mm, and 693.5 mm, respectively. According to Soil Survey
Staff (1999), the study area has a mesic soil temperature
regime and aridic soil moisture regime. Flat and hilly