Post-Fire Soil Nutrient Dynamics in Seriphium plumosum L. Encroached Semi-Arid Grassland of Gauteng Province, South Africa

Hosia T. Pule (), Julius T. Tjelele and Michelle J. Tedder
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Hosia T. Pule: Agricultural Research Council, Animal Production, Range and Forage Science, Irene 0062, South Africa
Julius T. Tjelele: Agricultural Research Council, Animal Production, Range and Forage Science, Irene 0062, South Africa
Michelle J. Tedder: School of Life Sciences, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Scottsville 4041, South Africa

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-7

Abstract: Seriphium plumosum L. is an indigenous unpalatable shrub that occurs in fire-prone semi-arid South African grassland areas, yet research proposes the use of fire to control its encroachment of rangelands. This study investigated the interaction effects of burning and soil depth on components of soil fertility. Soil samples were collected from the surface (<10 cm) and subsurface (>10 ≤ 20 cm) soil, before and after burning in randomly selected paired subplots (25 m × 25 m), with six replicates. Data was analysed as a randomised complete block design, with repeated measures (before and after burning) in a 2 × 2 factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) using generalised linear model (GLM) procedures. Components of soil fertility measured (K, Ca, Mg, Org C, P, pH and TN) showed a significant decrease with increasing soil depth both before and after burning, except for K and P, which were significantly higher in surface soils after burning. The results showed that the response of soil nutrients to fire depends on the temperature tolerance threshold of individual soil nutrient elements. Increasing surface soil available K and P concentrations after burning may improve the conditions for S. plumosum encroachment, with implications for similar environments and species worldwide.

Keywords: burning; combustion; desertification; encroachment; grassland (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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