Potential geochemical constraints on tree seedlings immediately after germination in treeless patches in southern Kruger National Park, South Africa

This dataset comprises soil chemistry data collected from sodic patches and adjacent savannas in the southern Kruger National Park, South Africa. The data focuses on the influence of soil nutrients on the establishment of tree seedlings in treeless patches, known locally as sodic patches. Forty composite soil samples (20 from sodic patches and 20 from adjacent savannas) were analysed for the following key nutrients: potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), phosphorus (P), sulphur (S), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), boron (B), organic carbon (C), and pH.

Soil samples were collected from the top 0-2 cm layer and processed using standard methods, including air-drying, sieving, and chemical extractions, followed by analysis with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and other relevant techniques. The data includes nutrient concentrations correlated with the growth potential of tree seedlings and identifies copper and boron as potentially limiting nutrients for tree seedling establishment in sodic patches.

The dataset comprises the raw data used in paired t-tests, highlighting significant differences in soil nutrient concentrations between sodic patches and adjacent savanna plots, particularly in relation to the availability of copper and boron, which are critical for tree seedling growth.

'Sodic River_data_24 Jan 2025_AJM.csv' contains nutrient concentration values for each identified site in sodic patches and adjacent savannas. The 14 columns contain the following:

1: 'ID' (The unique sample ID)

2: 'Site Status' (Indicates whether the site is a sodic patch or a sodic woody patch)

3: 'Na' (soil sodium concentration (mg kg^-1))

4: 'Mg' (soil magnesium concentration (mg kg^-1))

5: 'K' (soil potassium concentration (mg kg^-1))

6: 'Ca' (soil calcium concentration (mg kg^-1))

7: 'P' (soil phosphorus concentration (mg kg^-1))

8: 'S' (soil sulphur concentration (mg kg^-1))

9: 'C' (soil organic carbon concentration (mg kg^-1))

10: 'B' (soil boron concentration (mg kg^-1))

11: 'Mn' (soil manganese concentration (mg kg^-1))

12: 'Cu' (soil copper concentration (mg kg^-1))

13: 'Zn' (soil zinc concentration (mg kg^-1))

14: 'pH' (soil pH concentration)