Propiedades hidrofísicas de un hapludol típico de Córdoba en relación al pisoteo animal

the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of animal trampling on some hydrophysical properties of a typical hapludol implanted with ？triticosecale wittmack？, by means of a rotational grazing system (7 days of occupation and 42 days off) with four stocking rates corresponding to forage allowances of 2, 4, 6 and 8 kg dry matter/100 kg of live animal weight per day, under two soil moisture contents: dry soil, with 11% and moist soil, with 18% water content. the results were compared to an ungrazed reference system. the study was conducted at the experimental station of the universidad nacional de rio cuarto, southwestern córdoba province, argentina, under an experimental design in randomized blocks with a split plot arrangement. the parameters assessed were: bulk density (bd), relative compaction (rc), total porosity (tp) at 0-5 cm and 5-10 cm depths, and initial and final infiltration rate (iir and fir, respectively). bd showed an increase (p <0.05) at the 0-10 cm depth, which was more pronounced in the first 0-5 cm, and a decrease in the iir and fir as compared to the controls. the higher soil water content at the time of grazing increased these effects. rc values followed the same trend as those of bd, but did not reach critical values for crop development. the level of forage allowance and soil moisture at the time of grazing proved to be factors that modified the hydrophysical behavior of the soil under study. the increase in stocking rate caused a decrease in the iir and an increase in bd, an effect that was enhanced under the wet soil condition. the forage allowances of 6 and 8% seemed to be stocking rates that do not modify the hydrophysical conditions of the soil in relation to the ungrazed condition.