Abstract
This paper reports on the extent of soil compaction due to cattle traffic around hardwood and softwood tree seedlings established in existing pasture, and subject to cattle pressure. A higher soil penetrometer resistance in the grazed areas pointed to a significant change in soil structure (i.e. dry bulk density) as a result of cattle traffic in the area.
In a related experiment comparing the effect of three different levels of soil compaction on tree seedling growth and nitrogen cycling it was found that water infiltration and nitrogen uptake were reduced in soils treated with a medium and high level of compactive effort. This resulted in a slower rate of growth of the tree seedlings. The addition of an additional nitrogen source improved seedling growth in both the medium and high density compactive treatments.
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Bezkorowajnyj, P.G., Gordon, A.M. & McBride, R.A. The effect of cattle foot traffic on soil compaction in a silvo-pastoral system. Agroforest Syst 21, 1–10 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00704922
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00704922