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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #92929
Title: SUSTAINABLE GRAZING SYSTEMS FOR THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT: WATER BALANCE

Author
item Steiner, Jean
item Endale, Dinku
item Franzluebbers, Alan
item Franklin, Dorcas
item Stuedemann, John

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/9/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A grazing experiment was conducted from 1994-98 to determine impacts of nutrient source (crimson clover-N plus fertilizer, poultry litter, and chemical fertilizer) and biomass removal (high and low grazing pressure, mowed and removed, and no plant biomass removal) on soil quality and productivity of cattle on bermudagrass paddocks. Soil water was measured at 0.1, 0.6, and 1.2 m depths twice weekly during grazing and less frequently in winter. During spring drying, high biomass removal treatments showed earlier and more intense drying than low biomass removal treatments because of better plant growth with low thatch levels in the fall. In summer low biomass removal treatments dried earlier and more intensely than high biomass removal treatments. Steady-state infiltration showed 50% higher rates in no-biomass removal plots than other treatments, and infiltration rate was not strongly related to differences in soil properties. Preliminary data on grazing intensity impacts on runoff will be presented.