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McDonald SE, Badgery W, Clarendon S, Orgill S, Sinclair K, Meyer R, Butchart DB, Eckard R, Rowlings D, Grace P, Doran-Browne N, Harden S, Macdonald A, Wellington M, Pachas ANA, Eisner R, Amidy M, Harrison MT. Grazing management for soil carbon in Australia: A review. J Environ Manage 2023; 347:119146. [PMID: 37852027 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
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 lack of evidence in Australia that grazing management directly increases soil carbon, this meta-analysis indicated that grazing management practices have potential to benefit the drivers of soil carbon sequestration by increasing above and below-ground plant production, maintaining a higher residual biomass, and promoting productive perennial pasture species. Specific recommendations for future research and management are provided in the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E McDonald
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Trangie Agricultural Research Centre, Trangie, NSW, 2823, Australia.
| | - Warwick Badgery
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange Agricultural Institute, 1447 Forest Rd, Orange, NSW, 2800, Australia
| | - Simon Clarendon
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Tamworth Agricultural Institute, Tamworth, NSW, 2340, Australia
| | - Susan Orgill
- Select Carbon, 275 George St, Brisbane, Qld, 4000, Australia
| | - Katrina Sinclair
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Wollongbar Agricultural Institute, Wollongbar, NSW, 2477, Australia
| | - Rachelle Meyer
- School of Agriculture and Food, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Dominique Bowen Butchart
- Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Newnham, Launceston, 7248, Australia
| | - Richard Eckard
- School of Agriculture and Food, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - David Rowlings
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Peter Grace
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Steven Harden
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Tamworth Agricultural Institute, Tamworth, NSW, 2340, Australia
| | - Ainslie Macdonald
- School of Agriculture and Food, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Michael Wellington
- Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology, Australian National University, 116 Daley Rd, Acton, Australia
| | | | - Rowan Eisner
- Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Newnham, Launceston, 7248, Australia
| | - Martin Amidy
- Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology, Australian National University, 116 Daley Rd, Acton, Australia
| | - Matthew Tom Harrison
- Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Newnham, Launceston, 7248, Australia
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