Soil Fertility in Crop-Livestock System Subjected to Nitrogen Fertilization and Grazing

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of sheep grazing and increasing rates of nitrogen fertilization on oats + ryegrass at winter on the soil K, Ca, H + Al, Mg and P concentrations in a crop-livestock system with beans and corn crop succession during summer after four years (2006-2009) of the experiment establishment. Treatments consisted of different nitrogen levels (0, 75, 150 and 225 kg ha-1) with and without sheep grazing Lolium multiflorum Lam and Avena spp. Soil chemical traits were evaluated at depths of 0-5, 5-10, and 10-15 cm. The experiment was laid out as random block design in a split-plot scheme with three replications. Soil K content were higher at the superficial soil layer and at the treatment with 150 kg ha-1 N and remained high along the four years of assessment. Animal grazing at winter results in better soil chemical traits in relation to the soil Ca and H + Al. There were no nutrient (K, Ca, P and Mg) losses or extraction when under overgrazing, a fact that confirms the possibility of using animals in the crop-livestock areas without affecting its chemical traits. There was also an increase in Ca and SB concentrations with grazing, including in subsurface soil.

Population structure of Phanaeus vindex (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in SE Michigan

“…What makes this case study on the populations of the iconic rainbow scarab in SE Michigan even more relevant is that the same land use practices that threaten the populations of this species are threatening the populations of many other species and reduce biodiversity and the efficiency of ecosystem services in many rural areas of the United States and world-wide. Integrating farm animals on crop fields or on adjacent paddocked pastures (Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems, land-sharing) within a small-patch diverse landscape mosaic increases soil fertility ( Rakkar and Blanco-Canqui 2018 , Sartor et al 2019 , Galindo et al 2020 ) and may reduce greenhouse gas emissions relative to concentrated beef and dairy operation ( Ghahramani and Bowran 2018 , Yang et al 2022 ). Small cattle herders contributing to such systems should be supported as land stewards and receive supplementary funding similar to the USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) for growing prairie strips ( Riffell et al 2008 , McMinn-Sauder et al 2020 , USDA Farm Service Agency 2020 ).…”