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Effects of orientation on soil moisture, temperature, biomass production, and nutritional composition of natural grassland in the central Chile
Author
Toro-Mujica, P
Muñoz, G
Lisboa, P
Publisher
XII International Rangeland Congress
Publication Year
2025
Body

The natural dryland grassland of Central Chile serves as the nutritional base for sheep production systems. The orientation of a hill influences solar exposure, potentially affecting soil temperature and moisture, consequently impacting the growth cycle and nutritional quality of the grassland. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the orientation's effect on biomass production and the nutritional quality of the grassland. To achieve this goal, a farm with slopes facing the four cardinal directions (N, S, E, W) was selected for the trial. Three exclusion plots were established for each orientation. Grass samples were collected monthly to measure availability (kg DM/ha), Dry Matter (DM,%), Crude Protein (CP,%), Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF,%), and Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF,%). Soil moisture and temperature were monitored at depths of 7.5 and 12 cm using a portable TDR 350 moisture sensor, expressed as Volumetric Water Content (VWC,%) and Celsius degrees (°C), respectively. Simple and multifactorial ANOVA were employed for data analysis. Results revealed that the average soil moisture at both depths was highest on the S slope, with 9.6±7.8% at 7.5 cm and 12.2±10.1% at 12 cm. The W slope exhibited the lowest moisture; however, it was not statistically different from the N and E slopes. The higher soil moisture on the S slope corresponded with lower temperatures (24.8±6.6°C), approximately 4°C lower than other orientations. This soil moisture/temperature combination resulted in no significant differences (p<0.05) in biomass production between orientations until after senescence (November). Regarding nutritional quality, no orientation effect was observed on DM (%), but differences were noted in ADF, NDF, and CP. The E orientation exhibited the lowest NDF value (52.6±5.0%), the S orientation had the lowest ADF value (37.3±2.7%), and the N orientation showed the lowest CP value (9.2±1.6%). These variations suggest the potential for utilizing orientation differences to accommodate animal categories with varying nutritional requirements.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Additional Information
This paper is part of the larger XII International Rangelands Congress Proceedings. Page Numbers: 857-861. Theme: Theme 4 / Understanding the system – rangeland dynamics and ecology
ISSN
978-0-646-72121-7
Conference Name
International Rangeland Congress
Collection
International Rangelands Congress
Keywords
grassland
quality
pasture
dryland