Organic matter, pH and nutrient distribution in soil layers of a savanna Thornveld subjected to different burning frequencies at Alice in the Eastern Cape

Abstract

Fire is an important tool for the management of grazed savanna grasslands in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The aim of this study was to quantify the influence of veld burning frequency on soil properties especially organic matter, pH, exchangeable Ca, Mg, K, Na and extractable P. Soil samples were collected from different depths in plots of a 17-year old experiment where burning frequencies were: no burning (B0), annual (B1), triennial (B3) and sexennial (B6). A land under continuous grazing and not burned (G) and strips between the plots (R) were also sampled for comparison. Burning significantly (p G>B3>B6>B1>R. The trend in the distribut...