MEASUREMENT OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OF ARTHROPODS AND RESPIRATION IN SOILS MANAGED UNDER TIME-CONTROLLED AND SET-STOCKED GRAZING PRACTICES IN CENTRAL-WEST NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

Margot Moulin, Jérémy Lopez, Anantanarayanan Raman, Dennis Hodgkins, Allan Adams, Stephen Mannix

Abstract


In this study we compare the effects of two contrasting grazing regimes (time-controlled grazing (TCG) vs set-stocked grazing (SSG)) on selected parameters of soil biological health. The purpose of the study was to evaluate these soil parameters as potential indicators of soil health and thence sustainable soil management. Two parameters, viz., arthropod biological diversity and soil respiration were chosen as reliable indicators of soil health. Samples of pasture cover, arthropod populations, and soil from varied depths were obtained in spring (September-November 2010) and autumn (March-May 2011). Results from the autumn showed a strong effect of time-controlled grazing with increased arthropod abundance and enhanced soil biological respiration while in spring the differences were not significant. It was concluded that a change to short-duration rotational grazing can be beneficial to soil biological health in the longer term and that the measurement of arthropods present in the litter and topsoil can be a simple yet effective indicator of the impact of grazing regime on soil health.


Full Text:

PDF

References


B a d i n i O., S t ö c k l e C.O., J o n e s J.W., N e l s o n R., K o d i o A., K e i t a M.: Agric. Syst., 94, 87, 2007.

B a r d g e t t R.: The Biology of Soil: A Community and Ecosystem Approach. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2005.

B a r d g e t t R. D., C o o k R.: Appl. Soil Ecol., 10, 263, 1998.

B a r d g e t t R.D., J o n e s A.C., J o n e s D.L., K e m m i t t S. J., Cook R., Hobbs P. J.: Soil Biol. Biochem., 33, 1653, 2001.

B r a n d R. H., D u n n C. P.: Amer. Midl. Natural., 139, 235, 1998.

B ü n e m a n n E.K., S c h w e n k e G.D., V a n Z w i e t e n L.: Aust. J. Soil Res., 44, 379, 2006.

C a t t l e S. R., S o u t h o r n N. J.: Aust. J. Soil Res., 48, 43, 2010.

G o b a t J., A r a g n o M., M a t t h e y W.:The Living Soil: Fundamentals of Soil Science and Soil Biology. Science Publishers Inc, New Hampshire, 2004.

G r e e n w o o d K. L., M c K e n z i e B.M.: Aust. J. Exper. Agric., 41, 1231, 2001.

G u p t a V. V. S. R., R y d e r M.: Soil Biology in Pasture Systems: Knowledge and Opportunity Audit. Meat & Livestock Australia, North Sydney, 2003.

H a r v e y M. S., Y e n A.L., M i l l e d g e G.A.: Worms to Wasps: An Illustrated Guide to Australia's Terrestrial Invertebrates. Oxford University Press, Melbourne.

K i n g K. L., H u t c h i n s o n K. J.: J. Appl. Ecol., 13, 41, 1976.

K o v a æ M., M u r p h y B.W., L a w r i e J.W.: Soil Landscapes of the Bathurst 1: 250000 Sheet. Soil Conservation Service ofNewSouth Wales, Chatswood,NewSouth Wales, 1990.

O l i v e r I., P e a r c e S., G r e e n s l a d e P. J.M., B r i t t o n D.R.: Aust. Ecol., 31, 1, 2006.

Paoletti M.G., Osler G.H.R., Kinnear A., Black D.G., Thomson L.J., Tsitsil a s A., S h a r l e y D., Judd S., N e v i l l e P., D'I n c a A.: Aust. J. Exper. Agric., 47, 412, 2007.

Q i S., Z h e n g H., L i n Q., L i Q., X i Z., Z h a o X.: Plant Soil, 340, 117, 2011.

S a n j a r i G., G h a d i r i H., C i e s i o l k a C.A.A., Yu B.: Aust. J. Soil Res., 46, 348, 2008.

S a n j a r i G., Yu B., G h a d i r i H., C i e s i o l k a C.A.A., Rose C.W.: Aust. J. Soil Res., 47, 796, 2009.

S a n j a r i G., Yu B., G h a d i r i H., C i e s i o l k a C.A.A., Rose C.A.: Soil Solutions for a Changing World. Brisbane, 2010. http://www.iuss.org/19th%20WCSS/Symposium/pdf/0593.pdf, accessed on 14 April 2012.

T om N., Raman A., H o d g k i n s D.S., N i c o l H.:NewZealand J. Agric. Res., 49, 261, 2006.

Y e a t e s G.W.: New Zealand J. Ecol., 15, 99, 1991.

Y e a t e s G.W., K i n g K. L.: Pedobiol., 41, 526, 1997.

Zhang L.H., Chen Y.N., Zhao R.F., L i W.H.: J. Arid Environ., 74, 1200, 2010.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17951/pjss.2012.45.1.17
Date of publication: 2016-04-05 10:30:02
Date of submission: 2016-03-31 12:48:39


Statistics


Total abstract view - 596
Downloads (from 2020-06-17) - PDF - 224

Indicators



Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2016 Margot Moulin, Jérémy Lopez, Anantanarayanan Raman, Dennis Hodgkins, Allan Adams, Stephen Mannix

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.