Natural recovery of old crop fields in a South African Grassland biome

Abstract

Changing land-use practices has led to an increased rate of cropland abandonment in South Africa. Globally, climate change has increased the need for additional studies on the impact of land abandonment on soil health in arid and semi-arid environments. We, therefore, aimed to measure the changes in soil health with time following abandonment. The study site is located in the Winterberg Mountains of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Standard soil characteristics were assessed for three recovering old crop fields. Samples from the surrounding natural habitat were also included for comparison. Significant positive changes in soil water-holding capacity and carbon and nitrogen characteristics were observed with increased age since abandonment, pointing to soil quality recovery. It will, however, still take a significant amount of time for total recovery to be achieved. Continuous monitoring of old crop fields in agricultural and formally protected areas is needed to fully understand the long-term effects of cropping on soil quality in this region.