Effects of soil compaction by trampling of animals in soil productivity. Remediations

Entre los problemas de la degradación física de los suelos, la compactación y el adensamiento son los principales, y estos causan fuertes decrementos en los rendimientos posteriores de los cultivos de los mismos. La degradación de la estructura del suelo es un problema mundial que puede ocurrir en todos los suelos y niveles de producción pecuaria. Teniendo en cuenta lo anterior, este documento pretende analizar los principales cambios producidos en la estructura interna de los suelos como resultado de su compactación por el pisoteo de animales. La compactación del suelo, debido al colapso o disminución de los espacios de poros, es la causa más común de restricción física para el crecimiento y desarrollo de las raíces. Como agravante, la degradación de la estructura del suelo es comúnmente considerada como el tipo de degradación de tierras más difícil de localizar y reconvertir; la razón es que ésta degradación es un fenómeno subsuperficial. Finalmente se trata de establecer algunas posibles soluciones a dicha problemática, entre las cuales el método principal de restauración de la porosidad de las capas limitantes del crecimiento de las raíces es aplicar métodos biológicos como utilizar por ejemplo, las raíces de la vegetación natural o de cultivos de cobertura, plantados para que actúen como subsoladores biológicos que penetren en los horizontes densos.  Among the problems of physical degradation, compaction and densification are the main ones, and they cause strong decreases in subsequent crop yields thereof. The degradation of soil structure is a worldwide problem that can occur in all soils and livestock production levels. Given the above, this paper aims to analyze the main changes in the internal structure of the soil as a result of compaction by trampling of animals. Soil compaction due to the collapse or decrease in pore spaces, is the most common cause of physical restraint to growth and root development. As an aggravating factor, degradation of soil structure is regarded as the type of land degradation more difficult to locate and retrain; the reason is that this degradation is a subsurface phenomenon. Finally it is to establish some possible solutions to this problem, including the main method of restoring the porosity of the boundary layers of root growth is to apply biological methods as used, for example, the roots of natural vegetation or crops coverage, planted to act as biological subsoilers that penetrate dense horizons

Estimating soil degradation in montane grasslands of North-eastern Italian Alps (Italy)

Grasslands cover a large portion of the terrestrial ecosystems, and are vital for biodiversity conservation, environmental protection and livestock husbandry. However, grasslands are degraded due to unreasonable management worldwide, i.e., soil erosion indirectly due to the damage of overgrazing on vegetation coverage and soil texture. An in-depth investigation is necessary to quantify soil erosion in alpine pastures, in order to manage grasslands more sustainably. In this work, we collected freely available satellite images and carried out intensive field surveys for the whole Autonomous Province of Trento (Northeastern Italian Alps) in 2016. The area (and volume) of soil erosions were then estimated and shown in maps. The average of the depths of soil erosion measured in field was used as a reference for estimating soil erosion of the entire study area. High-resolution DEMs difference in soil surface conditions was also computed in two representative areas between pre- and post-degradation to estimate the volume and the average depth of eroded soils. The degradation of soil in the study areas has been estimated in 144063 m2 and an estimated volume of 33610 ± 1800 m3. Results indicate that our procedure can serve as a low-cost approach for a rapid estimation of soil erosion in mountain areas. Mapping soil erosion can improve the sustainability of grazing management system and reduce the risk of pastureland degradation at large spatial scales