Impact of transhumant grazing on physical and chemical properties of soils in temperate pasturelands of Kashmir Himalaya

作者：Jaweed Tasadoq H^*; Saptarshi Praveen G; Gaikwad Sunil W

来源：Range Management and Agroforestry, 2015, 36(2): 128-135.

• Bulk density
• Grazing intensities
• Himalaya
• Pasturelands
• Soil component

Lack of data on the soil component of pastures in Kashmir Himalaya is a strong limitation to assess the impact of transhumant livestock on it. During present study the data has been raised for physico-chemical properties of such soils among different grazing intensities designated as lightly grazed (LG), moderately grazed (MG) and heavily grazed (HG). Besides, physical properties like bulk density (BD) and texture, chemical properties like (OC), total N (TN), P, K, Ca, S, Mg, pH and electrical conductivity (EC), which are a function of these cations were worked out. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) and other relevant techniques have been used to analyze the various parameters of soil, which are mostly effected by grazing. Soil OC, Ca and Mg content were observed to decrease with increase in the grazing intensity at sampling depths 0-10 cm. Conversely, total N, P, S and K showed an increase in the total concentration in areas with increased grazing pressures. The uneven grazing intensity (an inherent feature of a transhumant grazing system) makes the soils susceptible for degradation. We need to find the proper balance between light to heavy grazing intensity through proper grazing management and in some cases using judicious herding to distribute livestock.

• 出版日期2015-12