Preliminary Results of Effect of Rotational Grazing of Farmed Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) on the Biochemical Status of Soil

Abstract

The aim of the study was to identify the trends and dynamics of changes in the chemical and biochemical properties of soil induced by rotational grazing of farmed deer. Soils pH and the content of mineral nitrogen forms, total nitrogen, and organic carbon were determined in the study and the activity of three soil enzymes. The monitored soils were slightly acidic and neutral, with pH in 1 mol KCldm−3 ranging from 6.37 to 7.03. The contents of content of organic carbon, total nitrogen in the monitored soils were in the range of 9.42–19.37 gkg−1 and 1.13–2.24 gkg−1, respectively, while the contents of N-NH4+ and N-NO3− of 1.34–7.08 mgkg−1 and 102.8–619.5 mgkg−1, respectively. The mean levels of nitrate nitrogen in the pasture soils were lower than that in the mown soil. The soils from the pastures were characterized by a higher level of available phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium forms than the mown soil. In the deer grazing areas, the activity of all enzymes was clearly higher than in the soil from the control plot. The results of the present pilot study have demonstrated a positive effect of cervid grazing on the biochemical parameters of the soil environment.

Soil Microbial Community and Enzymatic Activity of Grasslands under Different Use Practices: A Review

“…Dehydrogenases increase [72,81,[84][85][86] Alkaline phosphatase increase [64,84,87,88] Acid phosphatase increase [64,72,84,88,89] Urease increase [64,72,81,84,85,89,90] Proteases no response [90,91] Catalase decrease [87,92] Mowing Dehydrogenases increase [62,86,93,94] Alkaline phosphatase increase [64,[95][96][97] Acid phosphatase increase [64,95] Urease decrease [97] Proteases decrease [94,98] Catalase increase [92,94,97] It may have been caused by the influx of urea (urease substrate) into the soil environment. The main sources of urea (the final product of protein metabolism in terrestrial animals) in the soils on which sheep are grazed are animal excrements, as well as fragments of the tissues and cells of the soil micro-, meso-, and macrofauna, plant residues, and microbial cells [71].…”

“…The highest activities of dehydrogenases and acid and alkaline phosphatases were also noted at the same site due to the high content of organic matter. Animal excrements in the soil environment are an additional source of organic matter, macro-and microelements, and an additional source of enzymes secreted by numerous species of bacteria and fungi, which can be found, for example, in sheep urine and feces [85]. Livestock grazing may improve the diversity of herbaceous plants by compacting the soil and thinning out dense groups of trees and shrubs.…”

Integrated assessment of the impact of conventional and organic farming systems on soil biochemical indicators

“…Therefore, taking into account various soil parameters determining its fertility, the use of appropriate soil quality indicators is important (Bastida et al, 2008). A complete assessment of soil quality can be obtained by simultaneous testing of the activity of a number of soil enzymes that quickly respond to changes in soil management (Kobierski et al, 2020) in combination with the physicochemical properties and chemical properties of the soil (Bastida et al, 2008;Lemanowicz et al, 2020;Futa et al, 2021;Wesołowska et al, 2022).…”