Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Soil Research Soil Research Society
Soil, land care and environmental research
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > SR > SR07220
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 46(4)

Comparing the effects of continuous and time-controlled grazing systems on soil characteristics in Southeast Queensland

Gholamreza Sanjari A B , Hossein Ghadiri A E , Cyril A. A. Ciesiolka C and Bofu Yu D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Griffith School of Environment; Australian River Institute, Griffith University, Qld 4222, Australia.

B Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Tehran, Iran.

C Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Toowoomba, Qld 4350, Australia.

D School of Engineering, Griffith University, Qld 4222, Australia.

E Corresponding author. Email: H.Ghadiri@griffith.edu.au

Australian Journal of Soil Research 46(4) 348-358 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR07220
Submitted: 29 November 2007  Accepted: 24 April 2008   Published: 23 June 2008

Abstract

Grazing by livestock has a great influence on soil characteristics with major effects on soil carbon and nitrogen cycling in grazing lands. Grazing practices affect soil properties in different ways depending on the prescribed stocking rate and grazing periods. The new grazing system of short, intensive grazing followed by a long period of rest, referred to as time-controlled grazing (TC grazing), has become popular among many graziers in Australia and elsewhere. However, little research has been carried out on the impacts of this grazing system on the physical and chemical health of the soil. To address this issue, a comprehensive field study was carried out on a sheep-grazing property in the south-eastern region of Queensland, Australia, where the 2 grazing systems of continuous and TC grazing were compared. Results over the period 2001–2006 showed an increase in soil organic carbon and nitrogen in the areas with favourable soil condition compared with continuous grazing. There was also an increase in ground-litter accumulation over time and no compaction in TC grazing. Nitrate and extractable P concentrations were reduced by increased grass growth under TC grazing, which in turn decreased the contamination potential for downstream water bodies. This reduction was much more pronounced on a historical sheep aggregation camp, where a large amount of faecal material had been deposited prior to conversion to TC grazing. The smaller size of the paddocks, along with the long rest period provided by TC grazing in this area, are recognised to be the major contributors to both physical and chemical recovery of the soil after each grazing operation.

Additional keywords: bulk density, ground litter, organic matter, organic carbon, organic nitrogen, extractable P, NO3-N.


Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the government of Iran to G. Sanjari and grant from the Natural Heritage Trust to C. Ciesiolka. We thank Rick and Louise Goodrich, the owners of the property, for their support and Mr Eugene Creek for his voluntarily assistance in field work.


References


Abdelmagid AH, Schuman GE, Hart RH (1987a) Soil bulk density and water infiltration as affected by grazing systems. Journal of Range Management 40, 307–309.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | (Accessed Nov. 2007)

Murphy J, Riley JP (1962) A modified single solution method for the determination of phosphate in natural waters. Analytica Chimica Acta 27, 31–36.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Naeth MA, Bailey AW, Pluth DJ, Chanasyk DS, Hardin RT (1991) Grazing impacts on litter and soil organic matter in mixed prairie and fescue grassland ecosystems of Alberta. Journal of Range Management 44, 7–12.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Ohu JO, Raghavan GSV, McKyes E (1985) Peatmoss effect on the physical and hydraulic characteristics of compacted soils. Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers 28, 420–424. open url image1

Olson SR , Cole CV , Watanabe FS , Dean LA (1954) Estimation of available phosphorous in soils by extraction with sodium bicarbonate. US Department of Agriculture, Circular No. 939.

Paul EA , Clark FE (1996) ‘Soil microbiology and biochemistry.’ (Academic Press: San Diego, CA)

Rayment GE , Higginson FR (1992) ‘Australian laboratory handbook of soil and water chemical methods.’ (Inkata Press: Sydney)

Rice EL (1984) ‘Allelopathy.’ (Academic Press: New York)

Richards JH (1993) Physiology of plants recovering from defoliation. In ‘XVII Internatinal Grasslands Congress’. (Ed. MJ Baker) pp. 85–94. (SIR Publishing: Wellington, New Zealand)

Rodd AV, Papadopoulos YA, Laflamme LF, McRae KB, Fillmore SAE, Wilson RW (1999) Effect of rotational grazing on selected physical properties of a Gleyed Brunisolic Gray Luvisol loam in Nova Scotia. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 79, 117–125. open url image1

Ross MA (1977) Concurrent changes in plant weight and soil water regimes in herbaceous communities in Central Australia. Australian Journal of Ecology 2, 257–268.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Ruess RW, Mcnaughton SJ (1987) Grazing and the dynamics of nutrient and energy regulated microbial processes in the Serengeti grasslands. Oikos 49, 101–110.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Savory A, Parsons SD (1980) The Savory grazing method. Rangelands 2, 234–237. open url image1

Schuman GE, Reeder JD, Manley JT, Hart RH, Manley WA (1999) Impact of grazing management on the carbon and nitrogen balance of a mixed-grass rangeland. Ecological Applications 9, 65–71.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Sharpley A, Daniel TC, Sims JT, Pote DH (1996) Determining environmentally sound soil phosphorus levels. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 51, 160–166. open url image1

Sims JR, Haby VA (1971) Simplified colorimetric determination of soil organic matter. Soil Science 112, 137–141. open url image1

Southorn NJ (2002) The soil structure component of soil quality under alternate grazing management strategies. Advances in Geoecology 35, 163–170. open url image1

Su YZ, Zhao HL, Zhang TH (2003) Influences of grazing and exclosure on carbon sequestration in degraded sandy grassland, Inner Mongolia, north China. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 46, 321–328. open url image1

Theron JJ (1955) The recuperation of soils under grass pastures. In ‘The grasses and pastures of South Africa. Part 2. Pasture management in South Africa’. (Ed. D Meredith) (Central News Agency: Johannesburg)

Tom N, Raman A, Hodgkins DS, Nicol H (2006) Populations of soil organisms under continuous set stocked and high intensity-short duration rotational grazing practices in the central tablelands of New South Wales (Australia). New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 49, 261–272. open url image1

Vallejo VR (1993) Evaluation of C : N ratio as a parameter of N mineralization. Mitt. d. Oesterr. Bodenkundlichen Gesellschaff 47, 71–78. open url image1

Van Haveren BP (1983) Soil bulk-density as influenced by grazing intensity and soil type on a shortgrass prairie site. Journal of Range Management 36, 586–588.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Walkley A, Black TA (1934) An examination of the Degtjareff method for determining soil organic matter, and a proposed modification of the chromic acid titration method. Soil Science 37, 29–38.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Wheeler MA, Trlica MJ, Frasier GW, Reeder JD (2002) Seasonal grazing affects soil physical properties of a montane riparian community. Journal of Range Management 55, 49–56.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Whitehead DC (1995) Amounts, sources and fractionation of organic nitrogen in soils. In ‘Grassland nitrogen’. (Ed. DC Whitehead) pp. 82–107. (CAB International: Wallingford, UK)

Wills AK (1979) ‘The granite and traprock area of south east Queensland. Part I. Land inventory.’ (Queensland Department of Primary Industries: Brisbane)