Abstract
Core Ideas: Spring cattle grazing of corn residues slightly increased the risk of soil compaction. Fall cattle grazing of corn residues had no negative effect on soil properties. Increased soil compaction caused by grazing was small and did not reduce crop yield. Corn ( Zea mays L.) residue grazing can be an important component of crop–livestock systems, but its long‐term impacts on soil properties are not well understood. Some producers are concerned that residue grazing can induce soil compaction and reduce crop yields. We assessed the 16‐yr cumulative effect of cattle grazing of corn residues on soil compaction, structural quality, soil C, fertility, and microbial communities and studied their correlations with corn and soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] yield in a sprinkler‐irrigated no‐till corn–soybean system on a Tomek silt loam in eastern Nebraska. Three treatments were studied: (i) fall grazing [4.4–6.2 animal unit‐months (AUM) ha –1 ], (ii) spring grazing (9.3–13.0 AUM ha –1 ), and (iii) control (no grazing). Cattle grazing did not affect bulk density, wet soil aggregate stability, particulate organic matter, soil organic C, and nutrients except Ca and S. Spring grazing increased the cone index (soil compaction parameter) by 1.3 to 3.4 times relative to the control, but fall grazing had no effect. The increase in soil compaction caused by spring grazing was below the threshold limit (≤2 MPa) and did not reduce corn and soybean yields. Although grazing had a positive effect on the biomass of most microbial groups, the results were not significant, except for actinomycetes, which increased with residue grazing ( p = 0.06). Overall, long‐term corn residue grazing had little or no effect on soil properties and the small changes did not affect crop yields.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Grazing did not affect bulk density, aggregate stability or particulate organic matter.
- Taxon
- Corn
Zea mays subsp. mayst0 - Treatment
- Cattle grazinge0
- Outcome
- bulk density, wet soil aggregate stability, particulate organic mattere0
- Direction
- did not affecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cattle grazing did not affect bulk density, wet soil aggregate stability, particulate organic matter, soil organic C, and nutrients except Ca and S.”
t0“Corn Residues”
Claim · model-written summary
Grazing did not affect soil organic C or nutrients except Ca and S.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- Cattle grazinge0
- Outcome
- soil organic C, and nutrients except Ca and Se0
- Direction
- did not affecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cattle grazing did not affect bulk density, wet soil aggregate stability, particulate organic matter, soil organic C, and nutrients except Ca and S.”
t0“Corn Residues”
Claim · model-written summary
Spring grazing increased soil cone index 1.3 to 3.4 times relative to control.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- Spring grazinge0
- Outcome
- cone indexe0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 1.3 to 3.4 timese0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Spring grazing increased the cone index (soil compaction parameter) by 1.3 to 3.4 times relative to the control”
t0“Corn Residues”
Claim · model-written summary
Fall grazing had no effect on cone index.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- fall grazinge0
- Outcome
- effecte0
- Direction
- no effecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“but fall grazing had no effect.”
t0“Corn Residues”
Claim · model-written summary
Spring grazing compaction remained below 2 MPa.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- spring grazinge0
- Outcome
- soil compactione0
- Direction
- belowe0
- Value
- ≤2 MPae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The increase in soil compaction caused by spring grazing was below the threshold limit (≤2 MPa)”
t0“Corn Residues”
Claim · model-written summary
Spring grazing did not reduce corn yield.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse0
- Treatment
- Spring grazinge1
- Outcome
- corn and soybean yieldse0
- Direction
- did not reducee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“did not reduce corn and soybean yields.”
e1“Spring grazing increased the cone index (soil compaction parameter) by 1.3 to 3.4 times relative to the control”
Claim · model-written summary
Spring grazing did not reduce soybean yield.
- Taxon
- soybean
Glycine maxe0 - Treatment
- Spring grazinge1
- Outcome
- soybean yieldse0
- Direction
- did not reducee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“did not reduce corn and soybean yields.”
e1“Spring grazing increased the cone index (soil compaction parameter) by 1.3 to 3.4 times relative to the control”
Claim · model-written summary
Grazing tended to raise biomass of most soil microbial groups, without significance.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- grazinge0
- Outcome
- biomass of most microbial groupse0
- Direction
- positivee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“grazing had a positive effect on the biomass of most microbial groups, the results were not significant”
t0“Corn Residues”
Claim · model-written summary
Actinomycetes increased with residue grazing (p = 0.06).
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- residue grazinge0
- Outcome
- actinomycetese0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- p = 0.06e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“actinomycetes, which increased with residue grazing ( p = 0.06).”
t0“Corn Residues”
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Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.