Assessing the agronomic benefit of noninversion tillage for improving soil structure following winter grazing of cattle and sheep

• Published in: Soil use and management Vol. 30; no. 4; pp. 595 - 602
• Main Authors: Laurenson, S, Houlbrooke, D. J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Published for the British Society of Soil Science by Blackwell Scientific Publications 01.12.2014; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Wiley-Blackwell; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; air; Animal productions; annual pastures; Biological and medical sciences; Cattle; compacted soils; Cropping systems. Cultivation. Soil tillage; Crops; drainage; forage; forage crops; Forages; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; Grazing; land use; macroporosity; noninversion tillage; Physical properties; Physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of agricultural and forest soils; porosity; Sheep; Soil (material); soil aggregates; Soil compaction; soil recovery; Soil science; soil structure; Soil tillage; Structure, texture, density, mechanical behavior. Heat and gas exchanges; Terrestrial animal productions; Tillage; Tillage. Tending. Growth control; Vertebrates; water content; Winter; Herbivorous; Ruminant animal; Compaction; Recovery; soil recovery; Winter; Soil compaction; Profit; Soil science; Season; Ungulata; Cultural practice; Farming animal; Soil tillage; noninversion tillage; Bovine; Property of soil; Soil structure; Grazing; Physical properties; Soil management; Soils; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Sheep; Artiodactyla; Porosity; Macroporosity
• ISSN: 0266-0032; 1475-2743
• DOI: 10.1111/sum.12144

Severe treading damage to soils often occurs when cattle and sheep graze standing forage crops during winter. Soil recovery is a long process that may take several months if not years. Noninversion tillage can speed up the recovery process by improving drainage and air diffusion. This research assessed the ongoing benefit of noninversion tillage for improving soil structure relative to non‐tillage. This assessment was made following a land‐use transition from winter forage cropping to re‐establishment of seasonal pasture that was rotationally grazed by cattle or sheep. Prior to commencement of this study, the research site had poor soil structure due to four consecutive years of cattle and sheep grazing of winter forage crops [macroporosity (0–100 mm) <0.075 and 0.113 m³/m³under cattle and sheep, respectively]. Tillage was effective in increasing soil macroporosity to ca. 0.175 m³/m³under both grazing classes, which was significantly higher than nontilled soils (ca. 0.140 m³/m³, 0–100 mm depth). Improvements gained from tillage generally did not persist longer than 18 months. Average annual pasture production in tilled plots was 22.1 and 20.9 tons of dry matter per hectare (t DM/ha) for respective cattle‐ and sheep‐grazed plots, while in the nontilled plots, it was 19.1 and 18.6 t DM/ha, respectively. Results indicate noninversion tillage can provide an immediate increase in the porosity of compacted soils and improve pasture growth. However, processes involved in the formation of resilient soil aggregates are curtailed if subsequent grazing events coincide with high moisture content that causes recompaction.