Critical review of the impacts of grazing intensity on soil organic carbon storage and other soil quality indicators in extensively managed grasslands

• Published in: Agriculture, ecosystems & environment Vol. 253; pp. 62 - 81
• Main Authors: Abdalla, M., Hastings, A., Chadwick, D.R., Jones, D.L., Evans, C.D., Jones, M.B., Rees, R.M., Smith, P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01-02-2018; Elsevier BV; Elsevier
• Subjects: Agricultural ecosystems; Breeding of animals; Bulk density; Carbon sequestration; Carrying capacity; Climate; Climatic zones; Environmental degradation; Grassland; Grassland management; Grasslands; Grazing; Grazing intensity; Indicators; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; Livestock; Livestock grazing; Organic carbon; Organic soils; pH effects; Regional analysis; Reviews; Soil chemistry; Soil degradation; Soil fertility; Soil investigations; Soil management; Soil organic carbon; Soil pH; Soil properties; Soil quality; Studies; Total nitrogen; Grassland; Total nitrogen; Grazing; Soil organic carbon; Grazing intensity
• ISSN: 0167-8809; 1873-2305
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2017.10.023

•The impact of grazing on SOC is climate-dependent.•Grazing increases SOC for C4 but decreases it for C3 and C3-C4 mixed grasslands.•Grazing increases TN and BD but has no effect on soil pH.
Livestock grazing intensity (GI) is thought to have a major impact on soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and soil quality indicators in grassland agroecosystems. To critically investigate this, we conducted a global review and meta-analysis of 83 studies of extensive grazing, covering 164 sites across different countries and climatic zones. Unlike previous published reviews we normalized the SOC and total nitrogen (TN) data to a 30cm depth to be compatible with IPCC guidelines. We also calculated a normalized GI and divided the data into four main groups depending on the regional climate (dry warm, DW; dry cool, DC; moist warm, MW; moist cool, MC). Our results show that taken across all climatic zones and GIs, grazing (below the carrying capacity of the systems) results in a decrease in SOC storage, although its impact on SOC is climate-dependent. When assessed for different regional climates, all GI levels increased SOC stocks under the MW climate (+7.6%) whilst there were reductions under the MC climate (−19%). Under the DW and DC climates, only the low (+5.8%) and low to medium (+16.1%) grazing intensities, respectively, were associated with increased SOC stocks. High GI significantly increased SOC for C4-dominated grassland compared to C3-dominated grassland and C3-C4 mixed grasslands. It was also associated with significant increases in TN and bulk density but had no effect on soil pH. To protect grassland soils from degradation, we recommend that GI and management practices should be optimized according to climate region and grassland type (C3, C4 or C3-C4 mixed).