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Strategic Grazing in Beef-Pastures for Improved Soil Health and Reduced Runoff-Nitrate-A Step towards Sustainability

Author

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  • Subash Dahal

    (Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30605, USA)

  • Dorcas Franklin

    (Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30605, USA)

  • Anish Subedi

    (Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30605, USA)

  • Miguel Cabrera

    (Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30605, USA)

  • Dennis Hancock

    (Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30605, USA)

  • Kishan Mahmud

    (Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30605, USA)

  • Laura Ney

    (Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30605, USA)

  • Cheolwoo Park

    (Department of Statistics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30605, USA)

  • Deepak Mishra

    (Department if Geography, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30605, USA)

Abstract

Generally, improvement in the soil health of pasturelands can result in amplified ecosystem services which can help improve the overall sustainability of the system. The extent to which specific best management practices have this effect has yet to be established. A farm-scale study was conducted in eight beef-pastures in the Southern Piedmont of Georgia, from 2015 to 2018, to assess the effect of strategic-grazing (STR) and continuous-grazing hay distribution (CHD) on soil health indicators and runoff nitrate losses. In 2016, four pastures were converted to the STR system and four were grazed using the CHD system. Post-treatment, in 2018, the STR system had significantly greater POXC (by 87.1, 63.4, and 55.6 mg ha −1 at 0–5, 5–10, and 10–20 cm, respectively) as compared to CHD system. Soil respiration was also greater in the STR system (by 235 mg CO 2 m -2 24 h −1 ) and less nitrate was lost in the runoff (by 0.21 kg ha −1 ) as compared to the CHD system. Cattle exclusion and overseeding vulnerable areas of pastures in STR pastures facilitated nitrogen mineralization and uptake. Our results showed that the STR grazing system could improve the sustainability of grazing systems by storing more labile carbon, efficiently mineralizing soil nitrogen, and lowering runoff nitrate losses.

Suggested Citation

  • Subash Dahal & Dorcas Franklin & Anish Subedi & Miguel Cabrera & Dennis Hancock & Kishan Mahmud & Laura Ney & Cheolwoo Park & Deepak Mishra, 2020. "Strategic Grazing in Beef-Pastures for Improved Soil Health and Reduced Runoff-Nitrate-A Step towards Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-15, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:2:p:558-:d:307717
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Maria Giordano & Spyridon A. Petropoulos & Youssef Rouphael, 2021. "The Fate of Nitrogen from Soil to Plants: Influence of Agricultural Practices in Modern Agriculture," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-22, September.
    2. Ahmed Ibrahim Ahmed & Lulu Hou & Ruirui Yan & Xiaoping Xin & Yousif Mohamed Zainelabdeen, 2020. "The Joint Effect of Grazing Intensity and Soil Factors on Aboveground Net Primary Production in Hulunber Grasslands Meadow Steppe," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-19, July.
    3. Kishan Mahmud & Dinesh Panday & Anaas Mergoum & Ali Missaoui, 2021. "Nitrogen Losses and Potential Mitigation Strategies for a Sustainable Agroecosystem," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-23, February.
    4. Michael Aide & Indi Braden & Susan Murray & Collin Schabbing & Sophia Scott & Samantha Siemers & Sven Svenson & Julie Weathers, 2021. "Optimizing Beef Cow-Calf Grazing across Missouri with an Emphasis on Protecting Ecosystem Services," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-12, October.

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