The disputed fields in Diyarbakir province were set on fire after the shooting, with flames starting to spread on Thursday, an AFP journalist in the region said.

Three survivors of the violence were taken to hospital and one of them later died, bringing the number of dead to nine, the governor's office said in a statement.

Images showed the bodies of six men lying in a field of harvested wheat -- at least three of whom had Kalashnikov rifles.

Security measures across the province were stepped up, officials said.

Property disputes are quite common in the southeast, where the main source of income is farming.

Diyarbakir governor Ali Ihsan Su said the disputed fields covered 200,000 square metres (50 acres).