The effect of cattle dung patches on pasture growth, botanical composition, and pasture utilisation

Weeda, W. C.

doi:10.1080/00288233.1967.10423087

Cited by 85 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 6 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In accordance with previous measurements of the weight of cattle dung pats and the area they cover (Weeda 1967), 1.82 kg wet dung was applied to 25.4 em diameter circles.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For about 6 months after the application of the basal treatments the pasture above the dung spots was cut 3-6 em higher than that in the rest of the square to simulate observed differences in grazing height (Weeda 1967). The last yield cut was taken on 19 December 1967, 39 and 34 months respectively after the early and late treatments had been applied.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Some effects of cattle dung on soil properties, pasture production, and nutrient uptake

During

Weeda

1973

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The effect of cattle dung and of superphosphate, applied once, on the yield of pasture, nutrient uptake, and on several soil properties was measured in the field over about 3 years. The soil had very high phosphate sorption. Compared with superphosphate applied at equivalent rates of P, cattle dung decreased phosphate sorption and increased soil pH. The recovery of applied phosphate in herbage was higher from dung than from superphosphate. The likely reasons for tiJis are discusse.d. Yield responses of herbage to dung and superphosphate persisted for 2 years and 1 t years respectively. Yields of P were affected for the duration of the experiment.The area on which dung influenced P uptake was probably about five times the area physically covered by it. Thus under medium rates of stocking witiJ cattle (3-4 per hectare) the phosphate upt~lke of established pasture is likely to be influenced by dung spots on over half of the grazing area at anyone time. Under conditions of in situ grazing dung may have a cumulative beneficial effect on phosphate sorption and therefore on the long-term efficiency of the phosphorus cycle.

show abstract

“…In accordance with previous measurements of the weight of cattle dung pats and the area they cover (Weeda 1967), 1.82 kg wet dung was applied to 25.4 em diameter circles.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Some effects of cattle dung on soil properties, pasture production, and nutrient uptake

During

Weeda

1973

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Cattle tend to avoid grazing in the immediate vicinity of dung pats, in a way that a fringe of 10-20 cm of tall herbage surrounds rapidly the fresh dung pats and this exclusion effect persists until the pat has largely disappeared (Edwards and Hollis, 1982). Weeda (1967) found that herbage at the dung pat was usually 3-5 cm higher than herbage of the surrounding pasture. Large domestic and wild herbivores avoid the intake of food contaminated with faeces (Moe and Wegge, 2008), but animals may also graze preferentially on areas previously fertilised with urine (Jaramillo and Detling, 1992;Steinauer and Collins, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of dung deposition on small-scale patch structure and seasonal vegetation dynamics in mountain pastures

Gillet¹,

Köhler²,

Vandenberghe³

et al. 2010

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

International audienceCattle activity greatly influences plant species composition and biomass production of grassland ecosystems. Dung deposition by cattle together with grazing and trampling can be considered as one of the important factors driving vegetation dynamics in pastures. The objective of this study was to investigate at 10-cm and 1-month resolution the plant community dynamics induced by dung deposition in two plant communities (a mesotrophic and an oligotrophic grassland) in a pasture of the Swiss Jura Mountains. Vegetation was sampled four or three times during the vegetation period in contiguous 10 cm x 10 cm quadrats from the centre of the dung pat to a distance of 60 cm. A lower grazing intensity near the dung pat was recorded for all observation periods. In the mesotrophic grassland the canopy was higher near the dung pat already one week after dung deposition. Vegetation around dung pats was submitted to two opposite fertilizing and grazing gradients, which induced changes in vegetation texture and structure at fine scale and short term. We observed a positive rank correlation between species turnover and distance to the dung for both communities, suggesting a seasonal stabilizing effect of dung on the plant composition of their direct surroundings (0–10 cm) likely due to cattle avoidance. Since dung pats are dropped every year in different locations, they create in the pasture a shifting mosaic of nutrient availability and grazing intensity inducing at seasonal scale microsuccessions in plant communities

show abstract

“…On 3 October 1962 dung was placed inside plastic-covered cardboard rings with a diameter of 25.4 cm; the wet weight of dung per patch was 2.27 kg, with a consistency of 1112 (Weeda 1967). Dung contained 91% moisture, and chemical analysis of the dry matter gave the following percentages of major elements: Ca 1.46, P 0.77, K 1.43, Na 0.25, and Mg 0.75.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The third treatment was included because pasture around dung patches is usually not grazed as well as unaffected pasture (Weeda 1967). The height and area of "neglected herbage" was measured around dung patches voided at the same time on a nearby experiment described by Weeda (1967), as a guide for the cutting of herbage of the "simulated grazing" treatment; the following cutting management resulted: at the first harvest the herbage on the dung patch was cut to a height of 13 ern above ground level.…”

Section: Trialmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of cattle dung patches on soil tests and botanical and chemical composition of herbage

Weeda

1977

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Dung patches were applied in spring on a soil high in P and low in K. Under dung patches to below 7.6 em depth. the increase in Truog P was rapid and sustained. A rise in exchangeable K and Na was rapid, reaching a peak 1112 months after dung application, but short-lived. Exchangeable Ca and Mg increased more slowly, reaching a peak after 4 months. In spite of its gradual release from dung, Mg moved to some depth; thus Mg could be leached under dung patches. Downward movement of faecal Ca was slight. Dung patches increased pasture yields in an area within 12.7 em of the boundary of the dung patch for 3 months after application and again during the following spring. Total yield increase in this 12.7 ern wide band over 1112 years was approximately 50%. Ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) growth increased in this area. Dung raised Mg concentration of herbage, particularly in clover. It depressed Na concentration of clover. and raised it in grasses after a short initial depression. A rapid and large increase in herbage K concentration aided a rapid apparent recovery of K applied in dung: recovery was 62% at 1 1 / 2 months, 80% at 3 112 months, and 93% at 14 months after dung was applied. Interactions of faecal nutrients are discussed 471

show abstract

The effect of cattle dung patches on pasture growth, botanical composition, and pasture utilisation

Cited by 85 publications

References 6 publications

Some effects of cattle dung on soil properties, pasture production, and nutrient uptake

Some effects of cattle dung on soil properties, pasture production, and nutrient uptake

Effect of dung deposition on small-scale patch structure and seasonal vegetation dynamics in mountain pastures

Effect of cattle dung patches on soil tests and botanical and chemical composition of herbage

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About