Multivariate characterisation of a blackberry–alder agroforestry system in South Africa: hydrological, pedological, dendrological and meteorological measurements

Hassler, Sibylle Kathrin; Bohn Reckziegel, Rafael; du Toit, Ben; Hoffmeister, Svenja; Kestel, Florian; Kunneke, Anton; Maier, Rebekka; Sheppard, Jonathan Paul

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3935-2024

Articles | Volume 16, issue 9

https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3935-2024

© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3935-2024

© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 16, issue 9

Data description paper

|

02 Sep 2024

Data description paper |

| 02 Sep 2024

Multivariate characterisation of a blackberry–alder agroforestry system in South Africa: hydrological, pedological, dendrological and meteorological measurements

Sibylle Kathrin Hassler, Rafael Bohn Reckziegel, Ben du Toit, Svenja Hoffmeister, Florian Kestel, Anton Kunneke, Rebekka Maier, and Jonathan Paul Sheppard

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Final revised paper (published on 02 Sep 2024)
Preprint (discussion started on 21 Dec 2023)

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

RC1:
'Comment on essd-2023-478', Anonymous Referee #1, 23 Jan 2024

Dear authors,
thank you very much for the paper.
The authors made a great effort to get a big picture of a very unique agroforestry site in complex terrain from different perspectives. From my point of view the paper and the data require careful revision before publication.
Please find my comments summarised in the attached PDF.

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2023-478-RC1
- AC2: 'Reply on RC1', Sibylle K. Hassler, 23 Apr 2024
  
  Thank you very much for your detailed review of the manuscript, the data and the data description. We really appreciate your effort. We address your comments in the response and are confident the revisions based on your suggestions will help to ensure an easier and broader use of the data.
  
  Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2023-478-AC2
RC2:
'Comment on essd-2023-478', Anonymous Referee #2, 27 Feb 2024

The data paper of Hassler et al. stems from an intensive field campaign in which hydrological, pedological, dendrological and meteorological measurements were made in an agroforestry system in South Africa.

The data collection and manuscript are both at a very high level. The manuscript is written and the data is will presented. The only limitation I see is that the paper/dataset has a very limited geographical scope, and hence re-use of the dataset may be limited too. I would honestly just have published this dataset as part of the accompanying paper Hoffmeister et al. (2023) instead of pursuing a separate data paper.

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2023-478-RC2
- AC1: 'Reply on RC2', Sibylle K. Hassler, 23 Apr 2024
  
  Thank you very much for the comment. We address your concerns in our response.
  
  Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2023-478-AC1

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload

AR by Sibylle K. Hassler on behalf of the Authors (21 May 2024) Author's response Author's tracked changes Manuscript

ED: Publish as is (29 May 2024) by Sander Veraverbeke

AR by Sibylle K. Hassler on behalf of the Authors (12 Jul 2024)

Short summary

Agroforestry systems (AFSs) combine trees and crops within the same land unit, providing a sustainable land use option which protects natural resources and biodiversity. Introducing trees into agricultural systems can positively affect water resources, soil characteristics, biomass and microclimate. We studied an AFS in South Africa in a multidisciplinary approach to assess the different influences and present the resulting dataset consisting of water, soil, tree and meteorological variables.