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Influence of livestock grazing on vegetation in a saline area in Northeast Thailand
Author(s) -
Nemoto Masayuki,
Panchaban Santibhab
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
ecological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1440-1703
pISSN - 0912-3814
DOI - 10.1007/bf02347127
Subject(s) - grazing , vegetation (pathology) , agronomy , perennial plant , environmental science , shrub , livestock , biology , ecology , medicine , pathology
The influence of grazing by water buffalo ( Bubalas bufalis ) and cattle ( Bos taurus ) was estimated for vegetation inside and outside cages in a saline area at Khon Kaen, Northeast Thailand. The home range of water buffalo and cattle shifted in response to the period of rice cultivation: during the rice‐growing season these animals grazed on roadsides and abandoned places such as the study area; after rice harvest they grazed mainly rice stubble on the paddy. The vegetation in the study area was divided into three types: 1) dominated by the annual grasses Chloris barbata and Ischaemum rugosum ; vegetational cover and plant height in the cage increase due to the increase of these grasses; 2) thorny shrub patch of Maytenus mekongensis ; other species in this patch almost died a year after experimental elimination of this shrub; this salt‐tolerant shrub not only protected the co‐existing species from grazing, but also suppressed salt accumulation; 3) almost pure stand of Panicum repens ; livestock preferred this perennial grass over others. Electrical conductivity (EC) of surface soil did not increase under the vegetation protected from grazing. Litter and other organic matter in the soil suppressed the upward movement of brine. Grazing led to an increase of bare ground where NaCl accumulated, and modified the heterogeneity of vegetation, which was reflected in the degree of salt accumulation.