Abstract
Soil health is an emerging paradigm for which much research in row crop agriculture has been undertaken. Research involving grazing lands and soil health has not been as active, a feature partially attributed to (i) greater erosional rates in cropland, (ii) loss of soil organic matter and reduced soil structure attributed to annual tillage practices, (iii) cash flow from cropland is easier to visualize than the value-added nature of grazing lands, and (iv) there exists more competitive grant funding sources for croplands. Grazing lands do require soil quality augmentation and investment in soil health to optimize their ecosystem services potential. This manuscript, with an emphasis on beef cattle grazing in the central USA, attempts to survey the literature to (i) identify the influence of grazing on important ecosystem services provided by Mollisols and Alfisols, (ii) develop a listing of soil indicators that may be selected to quantify and credential soil quality, and (iii) develop guidelines that align soil indicators and changes in grazing management to support the restoration of ecosystem services.
Highlights
Soil health is an emerging paradigm for which much research in row crop agriculture has been undertaken
The USDA-NRCS (United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resource Conservation Service) defines soil as (i) the unconsolidated mineral or organic material on the immediate surface of the Earth that serves as a natural medium for the growth of land plants, (ii) the unconsolidated mineral or organic matter on the surface of the Earth that has been subjected to and shows effects of genetic and environmental factors of climate, and macro- and microorganisms, conditioned by relief, acting on parent material over a period of time [1,2]
Given the array of different land management practices, it is prudent to consider the appropriate collection of baseline data to connect to soil health objectives and specific land management practices. This manuscript, with an emphasis on beef cattle grazing in the central USA, attempts to survey the literature to: (i) identify important ecosystem services provided by grazing lands, (ii) develop a listing of soil indicators that may be selected to credential soil quality, and (iii) develop guidelines that align soil indicators and changes in grazing management to support the restoration of ecosystem services
Summary
Field evaluation of the soil profile necessitated the introduction of diagnostic soil horizons; that is, soil horizons that have specified and observable field characteristics These recognizable field features include texture, structure, boundaries, soil color, and redoximorphic features, clay films, organic matter accumulation. These diagnostic horizons and their associated field features have been employed to infer to influence water movement, nutrient provision, carbon and nitrogen cycling, plant anchorage, and an array of other ecosystem services. This manuscript, with an emphasis on beef cattle grazing in the central USA, attempts to survey the literature to: (i) identify important ecosystem services provided by grazing lands, (ii) develop a listing of soil indicators that may be selected to credential soil quality, and (iii) develop guidelines that align soil indicators and changes in grazing management to support the restoration of ecosystem services
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