Hydro-physical responses of gypseous and non-gypseous soils to livestock grazing in a semi-arid region of NE Spain

D. Moret-Fernández, Y. Pueyo, C.G. Bueno and C.L. Alados

Agricultural Water Management, 2011, vol. 98, issue 12, 1822-1827

Abstract: Pasture productivity depends on soil hydro-physical properties, which in turn are deeply affected by livestock grazing. However, the comparative response of different soil types, and particularly gypseous soil types, to grazing has hardly been studied before. This paper compares the effect of grazing on the soil hydro-physical properties of silty gypseous (Gy) and non-gypseous (NGy) soils located in a semi-arid region (Middle Ebro Valley, NE, Spain). Two different soil managements were selected: ungrazed natural shrubland (N) and grazed shrubland (GR) soils. The gypsum, CaCO3 and organic matter content (OM), soil texture, soil bulk density ([rho]b), penetration resistance (PR), saturated sorptivity (S), hydraulic conductivity (K), and the water retention curve (WRC) for undisturbed soil samples from 1 to 10Â cm depth soil layer were measured. The [rho]b and PR in NGy soils were significantly higher than those observed in the Gy ones. Soil compaction due to grazing treatment tended to increase [rho]b and decrease the K and S values. While no differences in PR were observed in the Gy soils between grazing treatments, the PR measured in the NGy soils under GR was significantly higher than the corresponding values observed under N. Differences in K and S between GR and N treatments were only significant (pÂ

Keywords: Water; retention; curve; (WRC); Penetration; resistance; (PR); Hydraulic; conductivity; Soil; water; infiltration; Bulk; density; Ungrazed; natural; shrubland; Grazed; shrubland (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:98:y:2011:i:12:p:1822-1827

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