Grazing management for soil carbon in Australia: A review

作者：Sarah E. McDonald, Warwick Badgery, Simon Clarendon, Susan Orgill, K.B. Sinclair, Rachelle Meyer, D Bowen Butchart, Richard Eckard, David Rowlings, Peter Grace, Natalie Doran-Browne, S. Harden, Ainslie Macdonald, Michael Wellington, Anibal Nahuel Alejandro Pachas, Rowan Eisner, Martin R. Amidy, Matthew Tom Harrison · 发表于：Journal of Environmental Management · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119146 · 被引用次数：73 · 研究领域：Pasture and Agricultural Systems、Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics、Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive Physiology

The livestock industry accounts for a considerable proportion of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, and in response, the Australian red meat industry has committed to an aspirational target of net-zero emissions by 2030. Increasing soil carbon storage in grazing lands has been identified as one method to help achieve this, while also potentially improving production and provision of other ecosystem services. This review examined the effects of grazing management on soil carbon and factors that drive soil carbon sequestration in Australia. A systematic literature search and meta-analysis was used to compare effects of stocking intensity (stocking rate or utilisation) and stocking method (i.e, continuous, rotational or seasonal grazing systems) on soil organic carbon, pasture herbage mass, plant growth and ground cover. Impacts on below ground biomass, soil nitrogen and soil structure are also discussed. Overall, no significant impact of stocking intensity or method on soil carbon sequestration in Australia was found, although lower stocking intensity and incorporating periods of rest into grazing systems (rotational grazing) had positive effects on herbage mass and ground cover compared with higher stocking intensity or continuous grazing. Minimal impact of grazing management on pasture growth rate and below-ground biomass has been reported in Australia. However, these factors improved with grazing intensity or rotational grazing in some circumstances. While there is a lac...