Soil Response to Cattle Trampling and Mechanical Seedbed Preparation

Cattle trampling and mechanical cultivation have been recommended to prepare seedbeds in association with rangeland revegetation. The effects of one-time light and heavy cattle trampling, land imprinting, and root plowing or ripping on physical and hydrologic characteristics of a sandy loam soil were measured in southern Arizona. Soil disturbance by these treatments initially increased soil penetrability and slightly increased bulk density. Land imprinting increased the depth of wetting of an initial rainstorm but not sorptivity. Plowing or ripping increased surface roughness, penetrability, depth of wetting, and sorptivity. Heavy trampling and land imprinting initially increased the volume of water that was held at field capacity by the surface soil. This effect did not persist after summer rainfall. None of the treatments strongly positively or negatively affected soil physical properties. One-time heavy cattle trampling slightly increased depth of wetting but not sorptivity compared to undisturbed soils.