An approach to derive relationships for defining land degradation and desertification risk and developing appropriate tools for assessing the effectiveness of the various land management practices using indicators is presented in the present paper. In order to investigate which indicators are most effective in assessing the level of desertification risk, a total of 70 candidate indicators was selected providing information for the biophysical environment, socio-economic conditions, and land management characteristics. The indicators were defined in 1,672 field sites located in 17 study areas in the Mediterranean region, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Based on an existing geo-referenced database, classes were designated for each indicator and a sensitivity score to desertification was assigned to each class based on existing research. The obtained data were analyzed for the various processes of land degradation at farm level. The derived methodology was assessed using independent indicators, such as the measured soil erosion rate, and the organic matter content of the soil. Based on regression analyses, the collected indicator set can be reduced to a number of effective indicators ranging from 8 to 17 in the various processes of land degradation. Among the most important indicators identified as affecting land degradation and desertification risk were rain seasonality, slope gradient, plant cover, rate of land abandonment, land-use intensity, and the level of policy implementation.

Crop-livestock systems are regaining their importance as an alternative to unsustainable intensive farming systems. Loss of biodiversity, nutrient pollution and habitat fragmentation are a few of many concerns recently reported with modern agriculture. Integrating crops and pastures in no-till systems can result in better environmental services, since conservation agriculture is improved by system diversity, paths of nutrient flux, and other processes common in nature. The presence of large herbivores can positively modify nutrient pathways and soil aggregation, increasing soil quality. Despite the low diversity involved, the integration of crops and pastures enhances nature's biomimicry and allows attainment of a higher system organization level. This paper illustrates these benefits focusing on the use of grazing animals integrated with crops under no-tillage systems characteristic of southern Brazil.

Indicator-based approaches are often used to monitor land degradation and desertification from the global to the very local scale. However, there is still little agreement on which indicators may best reflect both status and trends of these phenomena. In this study, various processes of land degradation and desertification have been analyzed in 17 study sites around the world using a wide set of biophysical and socioeconomic indicators. The database described earlier in this issue by Kosmas and others (Environ Manage, 2013) for defining desertification risk was further analyzed to define the most important indicators related to the following degradation processes: water erosion in various land uses, tillage erosion, soil salinization, water stress, forest fires, and overgrazing. A correlation analysis was applied to the selected indicators in order to identify the most important variables contributing to each land degradation process. The analysis indicates that the most important indicators are: (i) rain seasonality affecting water erosion, water stress, and forest fires, (ii) slope gradient affecting water erosion, tillage erosion and water stress, and (iii) water scarcity soil salinization, water stress, and forest fires. Implementation of existing regulations or policies concerned with resources development and environmental sustainability was identified as the most important indicator of land protection.

RESUMO -Neste estudo avaliaram-se estratégias alimentares de novilhos em pastagem de azevém-anual (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) e aveia-preta (Avena strigosa Schreb.) em quatro alturas de manejo (10, 20, 30 e 40 cm) para investigar se as alturas do pasto podem influenciar os padrões de deslocamento e captura da forragem por animais em pastejo e seus impactos em sistemas de integração lavoura-pecuária. As alturas de manejo foram avaliadas em delineamento de blocos completos casualisados com três repetições. Procedeu-se a três avaliações diurnas, por observação visual direta: duas avaliações de acordo com o estádio vegetativo e a terceira com o estádio reprodutivo. A redução da altura de manejo do pasto esteve relacionada a maior carga animal e resultou em menor massa de forragem e massa de lâminas foliares. Nessa condição de limitação, os animais aumentaram a taxa de bocados, o número de bocado por estação alimentar, o número total de bocados, o número de estação alimentar visitada e reduziram o tempo de permanência na estação alimentar. Esse padrão de resposta resultou em menor deslocamento entre estações alimentares, no entanto, a quantidade de deslocamento total foi maior. Os animais modificam seus padrões de deslocamento e captura de forragem em resposta à altura de manejo do pasto. A limitação de forragem pode ter impacto no sistema de integração lavoura-pecuária. ABSTRACT -This experiment was aimed to evaluate the grazing strategies of steers in Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and black oat (Avena strigosa Schreb.) pastures managed with four sward heights, 10, 20, 30 and 40 cm. The hypothesis that different sward heights could determine variations on the displacement patterns and herbage capture by grazing animals, with potential impacts in a crop-livestock system was tested. The treatments (sward heights) were distributed in a randomized block design with three replicates. Diurnal evaluations were performed by visual assessment in three periods, two of them in the vegetative stage and the one in the reproductive stage. Results indicated that decreases in the sward height were related to the increased stocking rate, resulting in lower herbage mass and leaf blade mass. In this limited condition, animals increased the bite rate, the number of bites per feeding station, the total number of bites, the number of visited feeding stations and decreased the time spent per feeding station. This response pattern resulted in lower displacement among feeding stations; however, the total displacement observed was greater. The animals changed their herbage capture and displacement patterns in response to sward heights, where limited herbage availability could impact the crop-livestock system. Key Words: bite, displacement, feeding station, steers IntroduçãoSistemas de integração lavoura-pecuária têm efeito do animal e esse efeito depende, entre outros, do manejo da intensidade de pastejo, principal determinante da produção animal, das condições de solo e da quantidade de palhada que se transferem à fase agrícola ....

This trial aimed to evaluate the effects of sward height management of pastures composed by black oat and