Review: The effects of soil compaction on root penetration, pasture growth and persistence

Abstract

A review of the literature shows that soil compaction by stock treading has been an issue for New Zealand farmers for over half a century. Soil compaction restricts root penetration resulting in poor anchorage and susceptibility of plants to uprooting during grazing. In addition, access to moisture and soil nutrients is reduced which decreases the fitness of the sward under stress conditions. Mechanical treatment of compacted soil improves soil physical properties but beneficial effects on pasture growth have been less readily demonstrated. Options to reduce the impact of soil compaction on pasture persistency include better soil management to reduce the incidence and severity of compaction and, in the longer term, new grasses with root and shoot traits that mitigate the effects of compaction. Keywords: roots, ryegrass, soil compaction, soil moisture, soil nutrients, trampling

Setting the stage for the restoration of anAnnona glabraswamp after exotic grass invasion

“…When these wetlands are used for cattle ranching, trees are felled, and grasses are introduced. With the introduction of cattle, trampling is a common problem that causes soil compaction by decreasing its porosity and increasing the apparent density, affecting the growth and establishment of native plants (Crush & Thom 2011; Morris & Reich 2013). In addition, introducing exotic grasses decreases resources and changes the physicochemical variables of water and soil (Zedler & Kercher 2004; Travieso‐Bello et al 2005; Rodríguez‐Medina et al 2017; López‐Rosas et al 2019; Ren et al 2021).…”

Direct and indirect effects of resilient pastures at farm scale

“…Climate conditions suggest that summer-autumn extreme dry/drought has been a major factor limiting persistence (Jagger 2009). Perennial ryegrass has a shallow root system (Dodd et al 2011), especially in compacted soils (Crush & Thom 2011), which makes it susceptible to drought. This results in poor summer growth which in turn can increase susceptibility to insect damage, pulling damage and weed ingression in pasture (Clark 2011).…”