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REVIEW
Contents Vol 46(3)

Pasture yield and soil physical property responses to soil compaction from treading and grazing — a review

J. J. Drewry A B C E , K. C. Cameron D and G. D. Buchan D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Integrated Catchment Assessment and Management Centre, Building 48A, Linnaeus Way, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.

B Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.

C Cooperative Research Centre for Landscape Environments and Mineral Exploration, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.

D Centre for Soil and Environmental Quality, Soil and Physical Sciences Group, PO Box 84, Lincoln University, New Zealand.

E Corresponding author. Current address: Mackay Whitsunday Natural Resource Management Group, PO Box 815, Mackay, Qld 4740, Australia. Email: john.drewry@anu.edu.au or john@mwnrm.org.au

Australian Journal of Soil Research 46(3) 237-256 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR07125
Submitted: 27 August 2007  Accepted: 12 March 2008   Published: 1 May 2008

Abstract

This paper reviews animal treading and the associated effects on soil physical properties and pasture productivity from treading-induced soil compaction and pugging. Response curve relationships between soil physical properties (e.g. macroporosity, air-filled porosity, bulk density) and pasture and crop yield are reviewed. Optimum soil macroporosity for maximum pasture and crop yield ranges from 6 to 17% v/v, but there is a paucity of yield response curves for pastoral systems, particularly critical or optimum values of soil physical properties. There is little information available on the effects of cattle treading on soil physical properties and consequently pasture yield in seasons when soil pugging and poaching is minimised. Such information is needed to provide practical and rigorously tested decision support tools for land managers during grazing seasons. Knowledge of yield response curves, and critical or optimum values of soil physical properties for field pasture-based grazing systems, is required for improved farm-system production and economic decision support.

Additional keywords: compaction, pugging, treading, poaching, indicator, pasture yield, macropore, bulk density, soil quality, indicator, trampling, cattle.


Acknowledgments

Early parts of this work were funded by AgResearch Ltd, Lincoln University and the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. The authors acknowledge support of AgResearch Ltd and Lincoln University staff, particularly Jeff Morton and Liz Wedderburn during the early parts of this work. We acknowledge assistance from the Australian National University and the Cooperative Research Centre for Landscape Environments and Mineral Exploration while drafting the manuscript. Thanks to Richard Greene and Lachlan Newham from the Australian National University and to the reviewers for helpful comments that improved the manuscript. Thanks to Tom Marshall for graphic design assistance with Figure 1.


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