The Decomposition of Cattle Dung and Its Effect on Pasture

Castle, M. E.; Macdaid, Elizabeth

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2494.1972.tb00700.x

Cited by 45 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…On average, this is about three months and leaves a bare area. In pastures dominated by perennial ryegrass, recolonization takes place mainly by this species which has excellent tillering ability [2].…”

Section: Negative Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of excreted nitrogen by grazing cattle and its effects on sward quality, herbage production and utilization

Lantinga

Keuning²,

Groenwold³

et al. 1987

Animal Manure on Grassland and Fodder Crops. Fertilizer or Waste?

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Abstract. Grazing cattle exert positive and negative effects on pasture production. It is shown that at a fertilizer nitrogen (N) input of 200 kg N ha -I yc 1 and more, the benefit from N circulation through urine and dung is not of significance for the pasture as a whole. Of the negative effects, poaching has the greatest influence on the response of pasture production to N fertilization.Two one-year experiments are described which showed that there were no significant differences in the response of grassland production to N fertilization between cutting and grazing usage above about 200 kg N ha -I yc 1 •

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Section: Negative Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of excreted nitrogen by grazing cattle and its effects on sward quality, herbage production and utilization

Lantinga

Keuning²,

Groenwold³

et al. 1987

Animal Manure on Grassland and Fodder Crops. Fertilizer or Waste?

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show abstract

“…This is due partly to the compaction of herbage during digestion and partly to the addition of metabolic waste such as bile. Consequently, during or following decomposition, these minerals may be transferred from the dung to the underlying soil where they stimulate the growth of the surrounding vegetation which eventually invades the dung during the final stages of its decay (Castle & MacDaid, 1972).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of water on the decomposition and release of nutrients from cow pats

Dickinson

Craig

1990

New Phytologist

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SUMMARYDecomposition of cow pats was studied using artificially placed pats which were either covered, uncovered or irrigated with additional water. Weight losses were recorded and these showed that there was little difference between the irrigated and uncovered treatments whereas the covered dung decayed extremely slowly. These dung pats were also analysed for their nutrient content, as was the surface horizon of the underlying soil. The results showed that nutrient losses from the dung were not paralleled by a concomitant increase in the soil, which implies that considerable quantities of nutrients were removed from the soil almost as quickly as they left the dung. It is suggested that this implies considerable root activity under the cow pats, perhaps commencing almost as soon as they are laid.

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“…Zones of herbage up to 0.6 m around dung pads are not grazed by cattle (Norman and Green 1958). Dung pad decomposition is inßuenced by environmental factors and a variety of organisms, including microbes, vertebrates, insects, and earthworms (Marsh and Campling 1970, Castle and MacDaid 1972, Holter 1979, Anderson et al 1984. Dung beetles are integral to nutrient-poor grazing systems, because they increase dung decomposition and plant productivity (Sánchez Piñ ero and Avila 2004).…”

Section: Abstract Dung Decomposition Nutrient Cycling Scarabaeidaementioning

confidence: 98%

Endocoprid Activity of <I>Aphodius fossor</I> (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Related to Bovine Dung Decomposition in a Mixed Grass Prairie

Owen¹,

Lloyd²,

Legg³

et al. 2006

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Aphodius fossor (L.) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), a common endocoprid dung beetle in southeastern Wyoming, may have a survival strategy to maintain dung pad integrity and moisture crucial to larval survival in an arid climate (annual precipitation <30 cm). Typically, A. fossor seems to contribute little to dung pad decomposition, because inhabited dung pads seem to be intact and weigh approximately the same as uninhabited pads, even after 1 yr on pasture. To assess the role of A. fossor in dung pad decomposition and nutrient recycling, artificially formed bovine dung pads were inoculated with five pairs of adult A. fossor. After 40 d, A. fossor activity had no measurable effect on external surface area or moisture retention within the dung pad cores. Pads inhabited by A. fossor weighed significantly more than did control pads on most weigh dates of the experiment, possibly because of incorporation of soil particles at the dung/soil interface. Externally, A. fossor-inhabited dung pads seemed intact; however extensive tunneling was evident throughout the core of the pad leaving an intact, protective crust. A. fossor activity increased microbial biomass carbon in the soil beneath the dung pad. Levels of total nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) decreased in the pads but increased in soil beneath the pads. Dung in the core and in the crust of pads with A. fossor had significantly less total N than pads with no beetles and total C was significantly lower in the crust.

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The Decomposition of Cattle Dung and Its Effect on Pasture

Cited by 45 publications

References 4 publications

Distribution of excreted nitrogen by grazing cattle and its effects on sward quality, herbage production and utilization

Distribution of excreted nitrogen by grazing cattle and its effects on sward quality, herbage production and utilization

Effects of water on the decomposition and release of nutrients from cow pats

Endocoprid Activity of <I>Aphodius fossor</I> (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Related to Bovine Dung Decomposition in a Mixed Grass Prairie

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