Background:Selective grazing creates stable patches of contrasting sward height,thereby providing different growth conditions for the grass sward above and below ground and potentially affecting soil organic carbon(SO...Background:Selective grazing creates stable patches of contrasting sward height,thereby providing different growth conditions for the grass sward above and below ground and potentially affecting soil organic carbon(SOC)stocks.We hypothesized that the presence of patches leads to greater spatial variability in belowground biomass(BGB)and SOC stocks than occurs between pastures managed under different stocking intensities.Methods:A long-term grazing experiment consisting of three stocking intensities was used for this study.We studied BGB,SOC,and soil total nitrogen(Ntot)stocks in the 0-15 cm soil depth.Shannon diversity of plant species,soil bulk density,soil phosphorus,potassium,and magnesium contents were considered.Results:There were no significant effects of patch or stocking intensity on BGB,SOC,and Ntot stocks.Short patches had a greater Shannon diversity than tall patches(p<0.05)and plant-available nutrients in soil correlated positively with sward height(p<0.05).Conclusions:We conclude from the current results and previous studies that higher plant species diversity with lower soil nutrient contents in short-patch areas and higher nutrient contents together with light competition in tall-patch areas might balance each other out with respect to BGB and SOC stocks.展开更多
Background:Local sward dieback,especially in grasslands on peat soil,in response to the extreme 2018/2019 drought demonstrates climate vulnerability of intensive grasslands in northern Central Europe.Methods:We explor...Background:Local sward dieback,especially in grasslands on peat soil,in response to the extreme 2018/2019 drought demonstrates climate vulnerability of intensive grasslands in northern Central Europe.Methods:We explore the influence of microtopography,that is,the within-field mosaic of depressions and elevated patches,on soil volumetric moisture content,standing biomass and biomass crude protein(CP)andfibre content in intensively managed grassland on peat soil in a moist year(2021)and a dry year(2022)for quantifying small-scale spatial heterogeneity within afield.Results:We found high within-field variation in soil moisture,biomass and forage quality and a moisture dependence of productivity that was stronger in the dry year.CP ranged from 10%to 25%within afield,being lower in moist depressions than elevated patches in the wet(but not in the dry)summer.Conclusions:The moister depressions help to limit the overall productivity decline in dry summers,whereas,in moist summers,the higher dry patches produce more protein-rich forage than the depressions,where productivity is higher but quality is lower.We recommend adapting grassland management to this heterogeneity through spatially differentiated management regimes in order to better cope with an increasingly drier and more variable climate.展开更多
基金funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research(BMBF)under grant number(031B0510A)a part of the research project SIGNAL(Sustainable intensification of agriculture through agroforestry)within the Framework Program BONARES(Soil as a sustainable resource for the bioeconomy).
基金ERASMUS+program and 774124-SUPER G(EU Horizon 2020)。
文摘Background:Selective grazing creates stable patches of contrasting sward height,thereby providing different growth conditions for the grass sward above and below ground and potentially affecting soil organic carbon(SOC)stocks.We hypothesized that the presence of patches leads to greater spatial variability in belowground biomass(BGB)and SOC stocks than occurs between pastures managed under different stocking intensities.Methods:A long-term grazing experiment consisting of three stocking intensities was used for this study.We studied BGB,SOC,and soil total nitrogen(Ntot)stocks in the 0-15 cm soil depth.Shannon diversity of plant species,soil bulk density,soil phosphorus,potassium,and magnesium contents were considered.Results:There were no significant effects of patch or stocking intensity on BGB,SOC,and Ntot stocks.Short patches had a greater Shannon diversity than tall patches(p<0.05)and plant-available nutrients in soil correlated positively with sward height(p<0.05).Conclusions:We conclude from the current results and previous studies that higher plant species diversity with lower soil nutrient contents in short-patch areas and higher nutrient contents together with light competition in tall-patch areas might balance each other out with respect to BGB and SOC stocks.
文摘Background:Local sward dieback,especially in grasslands on peat soil,in response to the extreme 2018/2019 drought demonstrates climate vulnerability of intensive grasslands in northern Central Europe.Methods:We explore the influence of microtopography,that is,the within-field mosaic of depressions and elevated patches,on soil volumetric moisture content,standing biomass and biomass crude protein(CP)andfibre content in intensively managed grassland on peat soil in a moist year(2021)and a dry year(2022)for quantifying small-scale spatial heterogeneity within afield.Results:We found high within-field variation in soil moisture,biomass and forage quality and a moisture dependence of productivity that was stronger in the dry year.CP ranged from 10%to 25%within afield,being lower in moist depressions than elevated patches in the wet(but not in the dry)summer.Conclusions:The moister depressions help to limit the overall productivity decline in dry summers,whereas,in moist summers,the higher dry patches produce more protein-rich forage than the depressions,where productivity is higher but quality is lower.We recommend adapting grassland management to this heterogeneity through spatially differentiated management regimes in order to better cope with an increasingly drier and more variable climate.
