Sensing and Mapping the Effects of Cow Trampling on the Soil Compaction of the Montado Mediterranean Ecosystem

Serrano, João; Marques, João Tiago; Shahidian, Shakib; Carreira, Emanuel; Silva, José Marques da; Paixão, Luís; Paniagua, Luis L.; Moral, Francisco J.; Oliveira, Isabel Ferraz de; Sales-Baptista, Elvira

doi:10.3390/s23020888

Cited by 10 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Our results highlight the low impact of livestock on soil structure in this ICL modality, where animal grazing occurs in the off-season, although there is a risk of soil compaction when grazing extends into the rainy season. According to Jordon (2021), the hoof pressures applied by steers at an age equivalent to those in the present study can vary from 200 to 280 kPa [reaching 350-400 kPa in adult animals (Serrano et al, 2023)]. This value doubles when the animals are in motion.…”

Section: Nd Discussionmentioning

confidence: 57%

Modeling and quantification of soil compaction promoted by animal trampling in an integrated crop–livestock system

Nascimento Júnior,

Torino,

Silva

et al. 2023

Sem. Ci. Agr.

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At critical levels, animal trampling can physically degrade soil, leading to the loss of sustainability of agricultural production. Therefore, it is becomes necessary to model and quantify the soil compaction potential. In this context, the objective was to evaluate the occurrence of soil compaction promoted by animal trampling in crop-livestock integration system (ICL). The study was conducted in a field at Centro Tecnológico da Comigo in the municipality of Rio Verde, Goias state, Brazil, during the agricultural off-season. The experimental area was composed of 1.97 ha, which was equally divided into eight paddocks. Soil was sampled before the grazing phase and after each of four grazing cycles. The compressive behavior of the soil was evaluated by determining the pre-consolidation and critical pressures. The results showed that only the first cycle of grazing showed additional compaction in 14.59% of samples. No critical compaction was observed in the evaluated area. Animal trampling under the studied conditions is not responsible for the dissemination of structural soil degradation in crop-livestock integration systems and may contribute to physical improvement resulting from biological soil loosening.

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Section: Nd Discussionmentioning

confidence: 57%

Modeling and quantification of soil compaction promoted by animal trampling in an integrated crop–livestock system

Nascimento Júnior,

Torino,

Silva

et al. 2023

Sem. Ci. Agr.

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“…In pastures, the soil exhibited low porosity and angular aggregates with limited root presence, likely due to long periods of overgrazing. The trampling of cattle directly impacts the top layer of the soil, negatively affecting its structure and the plant root growth and heightening the susceptibility to soil erosion processes (Dias Batista et al., 2020; Mulholland & Fullen, 1991; Serrano et al., 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visual evaluation of soil structure is a reliable method to detect changes in the soil quality of Colombian Amazon pasturelands

Mora‐Motta,

Llanos‐Cabrera,

Chavarro‐Bermeo

et al. 2024

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

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The visual evaluation of soil structure (VESS) is an affordable and easy‐to‐use method for assessing soil quality that could help in the early detection of soil quality changes in pasturelands of less developed countries where ranchers cannot afford quantitative soil studies. Here, we assessed the soil quality of three pasture areas in the Colombian Amazon region using the VESS method and tested its suitability through a correlation analysis with key physical and biochemical soil indicators of quality measured at the same study locations. Moreover, by integrating all assessed soil indicators, we determined a soil quality index (SQI) to correlate with VESS scores. A forest area was used as a reference to evaluate changes in soil indicators and soil quality due to pasture use for >25 years. Our results revealed high VESS scores, indicating poor soil quality in pasture areas and suggesting a compaction process that starts at 6.5 cm soil depth, corroborated by increases in soil bulk density, soil resistance to penetration, and reduction in soil porosity. Soil C and N contents were 35% and 33% lower in pasture than forest. This same pattern was observed in the geometric mean of the enzymatic activity. The VESS scores were significantly correlated with most of physical and biochemical soil indicators and with the overall SQI, demonstrating the ability of VESS to integrate and reflect attributes related to the essential physical, chemical, and biological functioning of soils from the Colombian Amazon region, becoming a useful tool for detecting signs of soil quality degradation in pasturelands.

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“…Different from our result, Bell (2010) found that soil compaction after cattle were introduced into an arable field, and thus soil infiltration and porosity decreased. There are no studies on how outdoor pigs specifically influence soil compaction; however, the body weight of animals contributes to their level of soil compaction, as reported by Serrano et al (2023), who stated that bovine cows exhibited higher soil compaction (up to 190 kPa) than sheep (80 kPa) because of their body weights.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are no studies on how outdoor pigs specifically influence soil compaction; however, the body weight of animals contributes to their level of soil compaction, as reported by Serrano et al. (2023), who stated that bovine cows exhibited higher soil compaction (up to 190 kPa) than sheep (80 kPa) because of their body weights. The study by Holden et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring and modelling the impact of outdoor pigs on soil carbon and nutrient dynamics under a changing climate and different management scenarios

Pun,

Galdos,

Chapman

et al. 2024

Soil Use and Management

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A mixed agricultural system that integrates livestock and cropping is essential to organic, agroecological, and regenerative farming. The demand for improved welfare systems has made the practice of outdoor rearing of pigs very popular; it currently makes up 40% of the UK pig industry and has also been integrated into arable rotations. Besides the benefits of outdoor production systems, they also potentially pose environmental risks to farmlands, such as accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil, soil erosion and compaction and carbon loss. Despite this, the impact of outdoor pigs and arable crop rotations on soil health has been under‐researched relative to other livestock species. This study was conducted at the University of Leeds Research Farm from 2018 to 2020 using a combined experimental and modelling approach to understand the impact of outdoor pigs on soil carbon and nutrient dynamics. The physio‐chemical properties of arable soil were measured prior to the introduction of the pigs and after introducing the pigs at the end of first and second years, consecutively. There was assessment of control sites (without pigs, mowing once a year) and pig pens (pigs in a rotation with arable crops). The soil was sampled at two different depths, 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm. It was observed that measured soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in the soil depths of 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layer were decreased by 7% and 3%, respectively, in the pig pens from 2019 to 2020, and total available nitrogen and phosphorus were significantly higher in pig pens than the control sites. Hence, at a depth between 0 and 20 cm, the average total available nitrogen was 2.51 and 2.68 mg kg−1 in the control sites and 21.76 and 20.45 mg kg−1 in the pig pens in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The average total available phosphorus at 0–20 cm was 26.54 and 37.02 mg kg−1 in control sites and 48.15 and 63.58 mg kg−1 in pig pens during 2019 and 2020, respectively. A process‐based model (DayCent) was used to simulate soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics in the arable rotation with outdoor pigs and showed SOC stock losses of – 0.09 ± 0.23 T C ha−1 year−1 using the future climate CMIP5 RCP 8.5 scenario for 2020 to 2048. To reduce this loss, we modelled the impact of changing the management of the pig rotation and found that the loss of SOC stock could be decreased by shortening the period of pig retention in the field, growing grass in the field, and leguminous crops in the crop rotation.

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Sensing and Mapping the Effects of Cow Trampling on the Soil Compaction of the Montado Mediterranean Ecosystem

Cited by 10 publications

References 45 publications

Modeling and quantification of soil compaction promoted by animal trampling in an integrated crop–livestock system

Modeling and quantification of soil compaction promoted by animal trampling in an integrated crop–livestock system

Visual evaluation of soil structure is a reliable method to detect changes in the soil quality of Colombian Amazon pasturelands

Measuring and modelling the impact of outdoor pigs on soil carbon and nutrient dynamics under a changing climate and different management scenarios

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