Advancing the spring rest-grazing time until the critical period when soil thaws promotes soil recovery and bacterial diversity in alpine meadows

Jing, Yuanyuan; Bai, Meimei; Xu, Chuncheng; Wang, Lin; Yang, Hang; Jiang, Jiachang; Wang, Hui; Yu, Xiaojing

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.108929

Cited by 5 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Therefore, it is important to note that grazing during this period can have a negative impact on the grassland ecosystem, particularly the rhizomes and roots of shallow soil may be at a risk of damage. According to our previous studies and observations (Bai et al, 2022;Jing et al, 2022;Ma et al, 2022;Pan et al, 2021;Peng et al, 2022), grazing of Tibetan sheep and yak during the soil freeze-thaw cycle had a significant impact on both the soil and vegetation. It also facilitated the sexual reproduction of Carex species, resulting in a rise in the number of rhizomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…The annual mean temperature is À0.1 C, the average annual accumulated temperature is 1380.0 C. The average annual precipitation is 416 mm, which is mainly concentrated in July, August, and September. There are only two seasons in the year, the cold season is from October to May, followed by the warm season from June to September (Jing et al, 2022).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The established species of this area are Carex capillifolia, the dominant plant is Polygonum viviparum and Elymus nutans (Jing et al, 2022). The condition of the soil and plant in the experiment plot is showed in Tables 1 and 2.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The plot area was calculated with a forage use rate of 80%, and the test plots were fenced. Rest-grazing started every year at the key times (ST1, ST2, RG1, RG2, and CK) (Jing et al, 2022). Considering the topographical conditions of the selected test sites, the limitations of natural conditions and the long-term grazing monitoring during the experiment, all of which require a lot of human resources, this experiment used sham replicates to deal with the enclosed test plots.…”

Section: Treatmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ecological environment of the subalpine meadows on the QTP is delicate and vulnerable. The alpine region is primarily maintained through the implementation of a “conservation + utilization” approach (Jing et al, 2022). Grazing in the alpine region usually takes the form of rotational grazing, seasonal grazing, or seasonal grazing exclusion for increased economic benefits (Dong et al, 2020; Jing et al, 2022; Song et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rest–grazing before soil thawing alters the below‐ground distribution and extent of rooting in Carex subalpine meadows

Jing,

Xiao,

et al. 2023

Land Degrad Dev

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Livestock activities impact plant rhizomes and roots in the topsoil, particularly in the early stages of spring for a Carex subalpine meadow. Rest–grazing during critical periods can prevent harm to these roots and rhizomes caused by livestock, thereby enhancing the ecological performance of grasslands. In accordance with soil thawing and plant re‐greening, we designated five rest–grazing periods during the spring in a Carex subalpine meadows. The findings demonstrate that the topsoil of 0–10 cm, largely consisting of Carex roots, housed over 70% of root volume and root mass. After the plant had regained its greenery for a certain duration, rest–grazing resulted in higher vertical root length distribution index. With earlier rest–grazing, root growth in deeper soil was promoted, consequently transporting more organic material to the deeper soil. Deferred rest–grazing time has the potential to enhance lateral rooting extent, root resistance to vertical uprooting, and root accumulation in topsoil. It follows that increased root accumulation in the topsoil leads to greater loss of soil nutrients and carbon. Consequently, we recommend rest–grazing prior to soil thawing for Carex subalpine meadows, which encourages Carex root growth and fosters greater biomass accumulation in deeper soils. Avoiding “running for the green” and “trampling tillage” has a positive effect on both productivity and long‐term soil nutrients and carbon pool management in pastures.

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