Soil Bio-physicochemical Properties Changes in Response to Grazing Intensity and Seasonal Variations in an Arid Rangeland Ecosystem of Iran | ||
| ECOPERSIA | ||
| Article 7, Volume 12, Issue 3 - Serial Number 49, 2024, Pages 307-316 PDF (555.02 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Research | ||
| DOI: 10.22034/ECOPERSIA.12.3.307 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Alireza Moshki* 1; Elham Nouri2; Mohammad Matinizadeh3 | ||
| 1Ph.D., Department of Afforestation in Arid Lands, Faculty of Desert Studies, Semnan University, Iran (Tel:0098-9128310301, Post Address: Faculty of desert studies, Semnan university, Semnan, Iran, E-mail: alireza_moshki@semnan.ac.ir. | ||
| 2Forest Research Division, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Iran | ||
| 3Forest Research Division, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Iran. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Aims: This study investigates the response of some soil bio-physicochemical properties under different grazing intensities management in a 17-year-old arid rangeland ecosystem of Iran. Material & Methods: The grazing intensity gradient was as follows: (1) without herbivore grazing over a whole year (NG), (2) grazing by sheep and goats done communally from November to May (RG), and (3) continuous and heavy grazing over a whole year (HG). The soil samples were collected from the upper 20 cm in November and May. Findings: The significantly higher bulk density values (P<0.05) were measured with increasing grazing intensities, i.e., 1.65, 1.82, and 1.96 g.cm-3 in NG, RG, and HG, respectively. The management system affected significantly (P<0.05) organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (P), exchangeable potassium (K), as well as enzyme activity of acid- and alkaline phosphatase (ACP, ALP) and urease. Similarly, the time of sampling affected significantly (P<0.05) OC, P, C, ACP, ALP, and urease activity in the soil. The soil OC ranged from 0.46 to 2.78 %, K ranged from 51.81 to 92.06 ppm, TN and P showed significantly (P<0.05) higher HG and RG values than NG. The soil pH ranged from 7.89 to 8.32, and EC (electric conductivity) ranged from 0.47 to 0.93 dS.m-1, which was significantly affected neither by the grazing management system nor by sampling time. The TN showed a high positive correlation with ALP (r = 0.89), urease (r = 0.72), and dehydrogenase (r = 0.76). The OC, P, ACP, and ALP responded more sensitively to grazing management systems. Conclusion: The presence of animals in our study site positively affected soil fertility. However, similar studies are required to complete our knowledge under different climatic conditions, vegetation-grazer types, and grazing duration. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Artemisia sieberi; Ecological Balance; Pasture; Salsola laricina; Soil Enzymes | ||
| References | ||
|
| ||
|
Statistics Article View: 7,055 PDF Download: 10,225 |
||
| Number of Journals | 45 |
| Number of Issues | 2,171 |
| Number of Articles | 24,674 |
| Article View | 24,452,367 |
| PDF Download | 17,557,089 |