Optimisation of nutrient cycling and soil quality for sustainable grasslands: Proceedings of a satellite workshop of the XXth International Grassland Congress, July 2005, Oxford, England

121 Pages·2005·1.278 MB·English

by  S. C. Jarvis, P. J. Murray, J. A. Roker

Optimisation of nutrient
cycling and soil quality
for sustainable grasslands
edited by:
S.C. Jarvis
P.J. Murray
J.A. Roker
Optimisation of nutrient cycling and soil quality
for sustainable grasslands

Optimisation of nutrient
cycling and soil quality
for sustainable grasslands
Proceedings of a satellite workshop of the XXth International
Grassland Congress, July 2005, Oxford, England
edited by:
S.C. Jarvis
P.J. Murray
J.A. Roker
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This work is subject to copyright. All rights
are reserved, whether the whole or part of
the material is concerned. Nothing from this
publication may be translated, reproduced,
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published in any form or in any manner,
Subject headings: including electronic, mechanical,
Soil biodiversity reprographic or photographic, without prior
Soil physical conditions written permission from the publisher,
Soil chemical interactions Wageningen Academic Publishers,
P.O. Box 220, 6700 AE Wageningen,
the Netherlands,
ISBN: 978-90-76998-72-5 www.WageningenAcademic.com
e-ISBN: 978-90-8686-556-7
DOI: 10.3920/978-90-8686-556-7 The individual contributions in this
publication and any liabilities arising from
them remain the responsibility of the
First published, 2005 authors.
The publisher is not responsible for possible
© Wageningen Academic Publishers damages, which could be a result of content
The Netherlands, 2005 derived from this publication.
The Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research
North Wyke Research Station
Okehampton, Devon, EX20 2SB, UK

Acknowledgements

We thank colleagues at North Wyke Research Station for their various contributions to the
organisation and running of this Workshop. IGER is sponsored by the Biotechnology and
Biological Research Council (BBSRC) who also provided additional support. We would also
like to acknowledge other support from the Department of Food, Environment and Rural
Affairs (Defra), London and Kemira GrowHow, UK.

Workshop steering committee

S.C. Jarvis IGER
P.J. Murray IGER
J.A. Roker IGER
R. Bardgett Lancaster University
J. Crichton British Grassland Society
D. Fay Teagasc
I. Richards Ecopt

Foreword

This book is the published outcome of the IGC satellite workshop on 'Optimisation of nutrient
cycling and soil quality for sustainable grasslands' held at Saint Catherine's College, Oxford,
July 2005.

The objective was to attempt to bring together two aspects of grassland soil management
which, by and large, have hitherto been considered separately. Issues related to nutrient
cycling and soil quality have dominated research directed towards aiding broad and local
scale policy issues for improving land use, protecting the environment and
maintaining/preserving natural habitats and biodiversity, but have tended to have considered
separately. In this book we attempt to bring what are, in reality, inseparable aspects of
grassland soil characteristics together and consider their physical, chemical and biological
components, their interrelations and the way that they influence nutrient transformations and
flows and soil quality. For each component an invited lead speaker opened the discussions
which included both oral and poster presentations. Whilst we have placed the various
contributions in discreet sections, it was very clear that segregating the information in this
way is very artificial and there was enormous overlap and opportunity for future integration
between the different sectors of the area.

The opportunity to bring together international expertise and experience will do much, we
hope, to progress understanding and point ways forward to maintain and sustain what is a
base resource, our soils. This is essential whether it be for production targets, environmental
benefit or for maintenance of natural ecosystems, in good order for future generations. The
book should be of interest to all those interested in soils and their function per se, and to all
grassland managers, whether their aims are directed at producing food, forage or fibre of
sustainable quantity and quality or at maintaining, restoring or encouraging above and below
ground biodiversity. The international perspective on this is very important so that
experiences in wide ranging circumstances can be cross-referenced and used to the advantage
of all.

The Editors, July 2005
Optimisation of nutrient cycling and soil quality for sustainable grasslands 7

Table of contents

Foreword 7
Keynote presentations 13
Soil biology and the emergence of adventive grassland ecosystems 15
T.R. Seastedt
Chemical components and effects on soil quality in temperate grazed pasture systems 25
M.H. Beare, D. Curtin, S. Thomas, P.M. Fraser and G.S. Francis
Physical constraints in grassland ecosystems 37
I.M. Young, K. Ritz, C.S. Sturrock and R. Heck
Integrating below-ground ecology into sustainable grassland management 45
R.D. Bardgett
Section 1: Soil biology and nutrient turnover 53
Benomyl effects on plant productivity through arbuscular mycorrhiza restriction in a Greek upland grassland 55
M. Orfanoudakis, A.P. Mamolos, F. Karanika and D.S. Veresoglou
The influence of burning on soil microbial biomass and activity along the Boro route in the Okavango delta
of Botswana. 56
T. Mubyana-John and A. Banda
Estimating nitrogen fixation by pastures on a regional or continental scale 57
M. Unkovich
Cycling of N and P in grass-alone (Brachiaria) and mixed grass/legume (Brachiaria/ 58
R.M. Boddey, R.M. Tarré, R. Macedo, C. de P. Rezende, J.M. Pereira, B.J.R. Alves and S. Urquiaga
40 years of studies on the relationships between grass species, N turnover and nutrient cycling in the Lamto
reserve in the Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) 59
L. Abbadie and J.C. Lata
The addition and cessation of inorganic fertiliser amendments in long-term managed grasslands: impacts on
above and below-ground communities 60
C.D. Clegg, P.J. Murray, R. Cook and T. Tallec
Grassland management practices and the diversity of soil nematode communities 61
R. Cook, P.J. Murray and K.A. Mizen
Study of characteristics of soil animals in halophilous plant communities of Leymus chinensis grasslands of
northeast in China 62
X. Yin, Y. Zhang and W. Dong
How soil properties affect egg development and larval longevity of a grassland insect pest - an empirically
based model 63
S.N. Johnson, X. Zhang, J.W. Crawford, P.J. Gregory, S.C. Jarvis, P.J. Murray and I.M. Young
Impact of root herbivory on grassland community structure: from landscape to microscale 64
P.J. Murray, R. Cook, L.A. Dawson, A.C. Gange, S.J. Grayston and A.M. Treonis
Analysis of the soil foodweb structure on organic- and conventional dairy farms 65
N. van Eekeren, F. Smeding and A.J. Schouten
The effect of forage legumes on mineral nitrogen content in soil 66
M. Isolahti, A. Huuskonen, M. Tuori, O. Nissinen and R. Nevalainen
Field experiments to help optimise nitrogen fixation by legumes on organic farms 67
A. Joynes, D.J. Hatch, A. Stone, S. Cuttle and G. Goodlass
Effects of applied quantity of phosphorus fertiliser on phosphorus content in plant tissues of lucerne
(Medicago sativa) and seed yield in North-western China 68
Y.W. Wang, J.G. Han, S.M. Fu and Y. Zhong
Cool-season grass response to increasing nitrogen fertiliser rates in Michigan 69
R.H. Leep, T.S. Dietz and D.H. Min
Within resting period seasonal soluble carbohydrate profiles of rotationally grazed elephant grass 70
L.P. Passos, M.C. Vidigal, I.G. Perry, F. Deresz and F.B. de Sousa
Optimisation of nutrient cycling and soil quality for sustainable grasslands 9