Soil compaction versus cow-stocking rates on an irrigated grazing system

DA SILVA, AP.; IMHOFF, S.; CORSI, M.

Florencia

Congreso; INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN SUSTAINABLE SOIL MANAGEMENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION: SOIL PHYSICAL ASPECTS; 2001

ISTRO

Soil compaction due to animal trampling has been considered a serious problem in some ecosystems around the world. Soil strength was used to evaluate soil compaction. Nevertheless, soil strength varies with water content, and it can mask treatment differences. Correcting soil strength data to a common water content may avoid this. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of three grazing intensities on soil compaction through of soil penetration resistance, previously eliminating the effect of soil moisture on it, in an irrigated short-duration grazing system. The study was carried out at the ESALQ experimental station (University of São Paulo, Brazil), where an irrigated short-duration grazing system was established. Simultaneous measurements of soil strength and moisture were made in plots submitted to three cow-stocking rates: 5.68 animal units (AU) ha-1, 4.42 AU ha-1, and 3.50 AU   ha-1. The influence of soil moisture on soil strength was taken into account using regression analysis techniques. After this procedure the results showed that soil strength was significantly higher for the treatment that employed the highest cow-stocking rate, while similar values were obtained for the other two treatments.