The Influence Of Acacia Mellifera On Soil Fertility, Herbage Quality And Composition On Sandy Soils In Camel-Thorn Savannas Of Namibia

Abstract

Acacia mellifera is viewed negatively due to its invasive nature to the extent that farmers tend to remove it from their farms without really considering that it may have beneficial effects. Thus the study looked at the role it plays on soil fertility, herbage quality, and botanical composition with reference to N-fixation. Soil and grass samples were collected at Corsica Resettlement farm at 6 distances within three sub-habitats from bases of five A. mellifera trees outwards. The nutrient concentrations of soil (Total N, % of Organic, Ca, K, Cu) and that of herbaceous plants (N, Ca, P, K, Cu) were found to be significantly higher (p