Abstract
The Montado ecosystem, predominant in the Mediterranean region, consists of poor soils, a sparse cover of cork and holm with an understory of natural biodiverse pastures, grazed by animals in extensive regime. The recommended procedure for increasing productivity of these pastures is based on the application of phosphate fertilizer. One of the main productivity-limiting factors is, however, associated with soil acidity. The objective of this work was to evaluate the simultaneous effect of the holm oak canopy and the application of dolomitic lime on the productivity and quality of a permanent biodiverse pasture, grazed by sheep, in an acid soil (pH = 5.4 ± 0.3). Pasture was monitored at the end of autumn 2018 and winter and spring 2019. The results show that amendment of soil acidity is a slow and gradual process that improves soil Mg/Mn ratio and has a positive impact on pasture productivity and quality. Pasture crude protein availability (CP, kg·ha−1), which is based on both pasture dry matter yield (kg·ha−1) and quality (CP, %), proved to be a very practical indicator of the contributions of tree canopy and soil acidity correction to the holistic management of the Montado ecosystem.
Highlights
The silvo-pastoral ecosystem, predominant in the Alentejo region, is based on Cambisols whose genesis derives from granitic bedrock [1]
Natural biodiverse pastures develop under a canopy of cork and holm trees, while grazed by animals in extensive regime
The recommended procedure for the recovery of these soils is the installation of permanent pastures and increasing soil fertility through chemical fertilizer applications [4]
Summary
The silvo-pastoral ecosystem, predominant in the Alentejo region, is based on Cambisols whose genesis derives from granitic bedrock [1]. In the case of grazed soils, the tendency towards acidification is accentuated, by the accumulation of manure, and by the extraction of nutrients and the leaching of nitrates [3]. On this soil substrate, natural biodiverse pastures develop under a canopy of cork and holm trees, while grazed by animals in extensive regime. One of the main limiting factors of greater productivity is, associated with soil acidity, which raises the obvious question: Does the effectiveness of fertilizer application increase if, in advance, the soil pH is corrected?
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