How does livestock graze management affect woodland soil health?

Soil is the fundamental component of each terrestrial ecosystem, so consequences land management regime on soil health and productivity should be evaluated. To this end, long term effects livestock grazing were studied in three systems north-eastern Iran, comprising unlimited grazing, managed a rangeland where was prohibited. First, properties including pH, EC, bulk density contents phosphorus, potassium calcium soils subject to regimes compared. Then, seasonal variations organic carbon, total nitrogen, microbial respiration (BR SIR), carbon nitrogen biomass (MBC MBN), fungal AMF ( Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) spore at sites. Several stoichiometric indicators also phosphorus found drastically decline (by around 40%) response while acidity slightly increased under that regime, comparison with managed-grazing grazing-excluded rangelands. Season had significant impacts all variables. Although content increased, presumably due urine, variables declined grazed sites, which ones lower plant cover. A higher AFM observed rhizosphere Artemisia aucheri , most frequent plant, lands grazing. Based these results, strongly recommended rather than any kind or continuous