Scholarlink

<p>Integrating livestock with crop farming can greatly enhance agricultural sustainability and accelerate the agroecological transition. This study investigated the five-year effects of oxen grazing in a vineyard in South-Tyrol (Italy). Grazing occurred from autumn to spring over five consecutive years at a density of 5–7 oxen ha<sup>− 1</sup>. An adjacent site remained ungrazed. Soil samples were collected and analyzed for soil carbon pools (elemental analyzer), compaction (bulk density), soil structure (micro–water-stable aggregates, µWSA &lt; 63&#xa0;μm; macro-water-stable-aggregates, MWSA &lt; 250&#xa0;μm), plant available elements (ICP-MS), total microbial biomass (fumigation and extraction) and microbial abundance (qPCR). The results showed that, despite both fields being pedogenically similar, oxen grazing improved soil C. Oxen grazing increased total organic carbon (+ 14%), total nitrogen (+ 12%), carbon/nitrogen ratio (+ 2%), dissolved organic carbon (+ 11%) and dissolved carbon (+ 11%). Available elements and soil bulk density did not change, while soil structure even improved as evidenced by the increase of µWSA (+ 14%) in the oxen-grazed site. This observation is supported by the increase in bacterial abundance (+ 1%) as they are typically present in µWSA, while MWSA and fungal abundance together with microbial biomass remained stable across the two sites. Our findings highlight the potential of combining viticulture with pasture as a strategy to enhance soil health and C, with no evident negative effects. Strengthening the integration and cooperation between viticulture and livestock farming could play a key role in advancing sustainable agriculture for the agroecological transition.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Five years of oxen grazing enhances soil carbon and structure in alpine vineyards

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月23日

查看全文
  • Ilaria Fracasso,
  • Ekaterina Timofeeva,
  • Raphael Tiziani,
  • Oussama Bouaicha,
  • Georg Leitinger,
  • Luigimaria Borruso,
  • Tanja Mimmo

摘要

Integrating livestock with crop farming can greatly enhance agricultural sustainability and accelerate the agroecological transition. This study investigated the five-year effects of oxen grazing in a vineyard in South-Tyrol (Italy). Grazing occurred from autumn to spring over five consecutive years at a density of 5–7 oxen ha− 1. An adjacent site remained ungrazed. Soil samples were collected and analyzed for soil carbon pools (elemental analyzer), compaction (bulk density), soil structure (micro–water-stable aggregates, µWSA < 63 μm; macro-water-stable-aggregates, MWSA < 250 μm), plant available elements (ICP-MS), total microbial biomass (fumigation and extraction) and microbial abundance (qPCR). The results showed that, despite both fields being pedogenically similar, oxen grazing improved soil C. Oxen grazing increased total organic carbon (+ 14%), total nitrogen (+ 12%), carbon/nitrogen ratio (+ 2%), dissolved organic carbon (+ 11%) and dissolved carbon (+ 11%). Available elements and soil bulk density did not change, while soil structure even improved as evidenced by the increase of µWSA (+ 14%) in the oxen-grazed site. This observation is supported by the increase in bacterial abundance (+ 1%) as they are typically present in µWSA, while MWSA and fungal abundance together with microbial biomass remained stable across the two sites. Our findings highlight the potential of combining viticulture with pasture as a strategy to enhance soil health and C, with no evident negative effects. Strengthening the integration and cooperation between viticulture and livestock farming could play a key role in advancing sustainable agriculture for the agroecological transition.