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Pasture Soil and Herbage Nutrient Dynamics through Five Years of Rotational Stocking
Author(s) -
Jones Gordon B.,
Tracy Benjamin F.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci2013.06.0400
Subject(s) - pasture , grazing , nutrient , agronomy , biology , forage , soil fertility , hay , environmental science , soil water , ecology
If nutrients are efficiently recycled within pasture systems, soil nutrient concentrations should change minimally over time. This process, however, has not been well documented in rotationally stocked tall fescue– [ Schendonorus phoenix (Scop.) Holub] based pastures. The study objectives were to: (i) examine temporal changes in plant‐available soil nutrient concentrations in two creep grazing systems grazed by cows that differed in size, (ii) determine how winter hay feeding and use of improved forages for creep grazing affected soil and herbage nutrient concentrations, and (iii) examine the relationship between and variability within soil and herbage nutrient concentrations. From 2008 to 2012, soil and herbage samples were collected from 102 paddocks across four grazing system treatments. Significant differences in soil nutrient concentration between creep grazing systems were observed before the initiation of grazing ( p < 0.05) and were consistent through time. Soil pH and soil P, K, Ca, Mg, and B concentrations declined significantly with time ( p < 0.05). Increased concentrations of soil P, K, Fe, and Cu were found in hay feeding paddocks. Soil P and K showed greater variation across samples than did herbage P and K concentrations. The correlations between soil and herbage nutrient concentrations were weak. Because of variability in soil nutrients within paddocks, herbage nutrient analysis may provide a better assessment of pasture fertility status. Though year‐to‐year changes in soil nutrient concentration were small, monitoring the nutrient status of pasture systems is essential for achieving optimal forage yields, improving livestock health, and limiting nutrient losses to the environment.