Table 3. Selected physicochemical and magnetic properties of studied soils.

General characteristics and physico-chemical properties of the studied soils are presented in Tables 3. The soils were classified as Aridisols, Vertisols, Inceptisols, Alfisols and Mollisols (Soil Survey Staff, 2014) and Solonchaks, Calcisols, Vertisols, Luvisols, Kastanozems and Cambisols (IUSS Working Group WRB, 2015). Three dominant land uses were selected in the study area including cropland, pasture, and orchard (Table 2). The diagnostic horizons in the studied soil profiles were identified as: calcic horizon (Bk and Ck, for the accumulation of secondary carbonates), gypsic horizon (By, as the accumulation of gypsum), salic horizon (Bz and Cz, for the accumulation of salts more soluble than gypsum), argillic horizon (Bt, for the illuvial accumulation of phyllosilicate clay), and cambic horizon (Bw, as the development of color or structure) (Soil Survey Staff, 2014).