SOIL RESPONSE TO TRAMPLING UNDER INTENSIVE ROTATION GRAZING

The impact of short-term, high intensity livestock trampling on selected properties of a silty clay soil was determined at the Texas Agriculture Experiment Station located near Sonora, TX. Intensive livestock trampling typical of multi-pasture rotational grazing systems had a negative impact on soil physical properties. The deleterious effects tended to increase as stocking rate increased. Trampling on dry soil caused disruption of naturally occurring aggregates and compaction of the surface soil layer. Trampling on moist soil deformed existing aggregates and led to the creation of a flat, comparatively impermeable surface layer composed of dense, unstable clods.