GrassVESS: a modification of the visual evaluation of soil structure method for grasslands

Abstract

Visual evaluation of soil structure (VESS) is used for assessing arable management impact on soil quality. When used on pastures, operators have identified limitations because VESS does not consider a surface root‐mat typical of managed grassland. The structure of the root‐mat may be indicative of nutrient use efficiency, pollution potential and subsurface compaction. The objectives of this research were to develop GrassVESS for grassland soil management, to compare it with VESS and quantitative physical indicators and to assess its utility for soil management. GrassVESS maintained the methodological strengths of VESS, but uses a flow chart, grassland images and a new root‐mat score. A focus group found GrassVESS to be quicker, dealt better with technical information and made root‐mat evaluation easier. The range of structural quality scores assigned by the focus group for a site was less for GrassVESS than VESS, suggesting the procedure is more reproducible, thus suitable for use by a range of stakeholders. GrassVESS was also deployed at 30 grassland sites across Ireland. Results indicated that GrassVESS generated the same overall diagnoses as VESS, but the GrassVESS root‐mat structural quality score was better related to bulk density, total porosity at 5–10 cm and a visual estimation of damaged sward area. It was concluded that GrassVESS has improved the VESS method for the specific assessment of grassland soil structural quality and could be used in real‐time farm management decision support.

Trafficking intensity index for soil compaction management in grasslands

“…The visual soil assessment techniques, VESS and GrassVESS, were performed following Guimarães, Ball, and Tormena (2011) and Emmet‐Booth et al. (2018), respectively. Earthworms (EW) abundance was assessed as described by Bacher et al. (2018).…”

“…• Soil bulk density (BD) was sampled as intact cores at 5-10 cm depth following ISO 11272:1998, Grossman and Reinsch (2002). • Total porosity was determined using intact cores at 5-10 cm depth as described in Emmet-Booth et al (2018) and following Flint and Flint (2002) and Piwowarczyk, Giuliani, and Holden (2011). • Hydraulic conductivity under near-saturated conditions (K sat ) was sampled using a Mini Disk Infiltrometer (Decagon, 2010), and raw data were evaluated as described in Zhang (1997).…”

“…• Hydraulic conductivity under near-saturated conditions (K sat ) was sampled using a Mini Disk Infiltrometer (Decagon, 2010), and raw data were evaluated as described in Zhang (1997). • The visual soil assessment techniques, VESS and GrassVESS, were performed following Guimarães, Ball, and Tormena (2011) and Emmet-Booth et al (2018), respectively. • Earthworms (EW) abundance was assessed as described by Bacher et al (2018).…”

“…Many studies have identified machinery and livestock pressures as the basis for soil compaction or soil structural damage in grasslands (Creamer et al., 2010; Emmet‐Booth Forristal, Fenton, Ball, & Holden, 2016; Newell‐Price, Whittingham, Chamers, & Peel, 2013; Tuohy, Fenton, Holden, & Humphreys, 2015). Therefore, future traffic management should consider current soil structural status (Emmet‐Booth et al., 2018). Soil structure not only refers to the physical quality of the soil, such as the arrangement of solid soil particles and the pore spaces between them, but also to properties that indirectly contribute to its development, such as nutrient dynamics, soil carbon residence time and decomposition rate, soil biota abundance, soil organic products and metal ion bridges between mineral and organic particles (Bronick & Lal, 2005; Rabot, Wiesmeier, Schlüter, & Vogel, 2018).…”

Application of Erodibility Nomograph in the Assessment of Soil Erosion in Two Different Agro-ecological Zones

“…The soil structure was carried out under field condition by visual soil evaluation (VSE) techniques as outlined by Emmet-Booth et al(2018). The soil profile permeability was obtained from saturated hydraulic conductivity (SHC) class (Blanco and Lal, 2008).…”