Grazing impacts on litter and soil organic matter in mixed prairie and fescue grassland ecosystems of Alberta
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Authors: M. A. Naeth, A. W. Bailey, D. J. Pluth, D. S. Chanasyk, and R. T. Hardin
Date: 1990
Journal: Journal of Range Management
Volume: 44
Number: 1
Pages: 7-12
Summary of Methods: Naeth et al. assessed the impacts of long-term cattle grazing on litter and soil organic matter in mixed prairie, parkland fescue, and foothills fescue grasslands of Alberta, Canada. In the mixed prairie, live vegetation and litter components of ground cover were not affected by grazing. Grazing increased bare ground 2.7 to 4.7 times, with early season grazing being more harmful than late season grazing. Early season grazing reduced organic carbon values in roots and standing litter but increased it in coarse and medium litter. Grazing treatment did not effect organic carbon in soil organic matter or amount of above ground biomass. In the parkland fescue grassland, live vegetation and litter components of ground cover were not affected by grazing. Organic carbon in roots and coarse litter was not affected by grazing but in standing litter it was highest in control and heavy June treatments and lowest in the heavy autumn treatments. Above ground biomass was not affected by grazing. In the foothills fescue grassland bare ground increased under moderate, heavy, and severe grazing. Litter cover was highest in the control but did not vary among grazed treatments. In all litter and organic matter categories, organic carbon was not affected by grazing treatment.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: organic carbon, ground cover, solonetzic soils, chernozemic soils, rough fescue, grazing
Annotation: In mixed prairie the 3 grazing treatments were: 1) early season grazing from May-July; 2) late season grazing from August-October; and 3) a control ungrazed since the 1930s. The stocking rate was heavy at 0.9 AUM/ha. In parkland fescue, 5 grazing treatments were: 1) light June grazing from 1 to 30 June at 1.5 AUM/ha; 2) heavy June grazing from 1 to 30 June at 4.4 AUM/ha; 3) heavy autumn grazing from 15 September to 15 October at 1.5 AUM/ha; 4) light autumn grazing from 15 September to 15 October at 1.5 AUM/ha; 5) ungrazed control. In foothills fescue, 5 grazing treatments grazed from May through September: 1) very heavy grazing at 4.8 AUM/ha; 2) heavy grazing at 2.4 AUM/ha; 3) moderate grazing at 1.6 AUM/ha; and 5) an ungrazed control.
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