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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #89512
Title: RESTORATION OF SOIL QUALITY OF DEGRADED CROPLAND WITH COASTAL BERMUDAGRASS WHILE MAINTAINING ESSENTIALLY PARASITE-FREE PASTURES BY JUDICIOUS ANTHELMINTIC TREATMENT

Author
item Stuedemann, John
item CIORDIA, H - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item STEWART, T - LOUISIANA STATE UNIV
item Seman, Dwight
item Franzluebbers, Alan
item WILKINSON, S - USDA-ARS RETIRED
item Dillard, Anthony
item Lovell, Albert

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/22/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A long-term experiment was conducted to determine the rate of soil-carbon restoration on highly degraded, cultivated land using Coastal bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L) Pers.) pasture, hayed, or unharvested management systems. The objective of this portion of that study was to determine if land that had been under continuous cultivation, and expected nematode parasite free, could be maintained parasite-free. Nitrogen was supplied to all treatments with either NH4NO3, poultry manure, or crimson clover. Eighteen pastures (three blocks of six ) were grazed at either high (H) or low (L) grazing pressure, with a differential forage above-ground level > 1500 kg/ha. During the first year, pastures were stocked with yearling steers from mid-July to early-October. In subsequent years, stocking was from mid-May to mid-October. Anthelmintic treatment included pour-on ivermectin on day -21, albendazole on day -7 d, and injectable ivermectin 48 hr prior to stocking of the pastures, with the cattle remaining in drylot during the 48-hr period. At the end of 4 years, there were no differences in nematode eggs per gram of feces (epg) among pasture fertilization or grazing pressure treatments. Within year, maximum epg were observed at the end of the grazing season. Mean epg at the end of the grazing season of years one, two, three, and four were 3.8, 0.4, 3.0, and 2.2, respectively. Thus, at the end of 4 years of grazing during the warm season in North Georgia, the pastures remained "essentially free" of nematode parasites.