Celery harvesting causes losses of soil: A case study in Turkey

Soil loss due to crop harvesting (SLCH) could contribute to the total soil loss, but the extent of such losses could vary among root crops. While many have studied SLCH with different crops, studies on SLCH for celery are unavailable. Thus, we quantified SLCH of celery (Apium graveolens L.) in northwest Turkey, a region with 19% of celery production in Turkey. We also studied the factors influencing SLCH and the cost of nutrients lost with soil due to celery harvesting. Soil loss due to manual celery harvest ranged from 1.41 to 8.52 Mg ha−1 harvest−1 with an average value of 4.00 Mg ha−1 harvest−1. Clay, lime, organic matter, and soil moisture content explained about 35% of the variation of SLCH. The estimated annual cost of nutrient lost with soil was US$ 6.18 per hectare. The significant soil loss due to celery harvesting should be taken into account when estimating total soil erosion.