Improved grazing management may increase soil carbon sequestration in temperate steppe

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 10892
• Main Authors: Chen, Wenqing, Huang, Ding, Liu, Nan, Zhang, Yingjun, Badgery, Warwick B., Wang, Xiaoya, Shen, Yue
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 03-07-2015; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/158/2458; 639/638; 704/172/169; Agriculture - methods; Animals; Carbon; Carbon Compounds, Inorganic - chemistry; Carbon sequestration; China; Conservation of Natural Resources; Grasslands; Grazing; Growing season; Herbivory; Humanities and Social Sciences; multidisciplinary; Nitrogen; Nitrogen Compounds - chemistry; Pasture; Pasture management; Plant production; Pressure; Science; Sheep, Domestic - physiology; Soil - chemistry; Soil Microbiology; Soils; Steppes; Stocking; Tillage; Vegetation
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/srep10892

Different grazing strategies impact grassland plant production and may also regulate the soil carbon formation. For a site in semiarid temperate steppe, we studied the effect of combinations of rest, high and moderate grazing pressure over three stages of the growing season, on the process involved in soil carbon sequestration. Results show that constant moderate grazing (MMM) exhibited the highest root production and turnover accumulating the most soil carbon. While deferred grazing (RHM and RMH) sequestered less soil carbon compared to MMM, they showed higher standing root mass, maintained a more desirable pasture composition and had better ability to retain soil N. Constant high grazing pressure (HHH) caused diminished above- and belowground plant production, more soil N losses and an unfavorable microbial environment and had reduced carbon input. Reducing grazing pressure in the last grazing stage (HHM) still had a negative impact on soil carbon. Regression analyses show that adjusting stocking rate to ~5SE/ha with ~40% vegetation utilization rate can get the most carbon accrual. Overall, the soil carbon sequestration in the temperate grassland is affected by the grazing regime that is applied and grazing can be altered to improve soil carbon sequestration in the temperate steppe.