Bermudagrass Management in the Southern Piedmont USA

Improved forage management impacts on soil organic C and S depth distribution and surface residue accumulation could be large, but detailed temporal data are not available. We evaluated the factorial combination of three levels of N fertilization [inorganic, crimson clover ( Trifolium incarnatum L.) cover crop plus inorganic, and broiler litter] and four levels of harvest strategy (unharvested, low grazing pressure, high grazing pressure, and hayed monthly) on soil bulk density, soil organic C, and total S, and surface residue C and S during the first 5 yr of ‘Coastal’ bermudagrass [ Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] management. Soil bulk density of the 0‐ to 6‐cm depth responded very little to management, but across treatments it decreased 0.06 Mg m −3 yr −1 due to increasing soil organic matter with time. Soil organic C did not respond significantly to fertilization strategy during the 5 yr, but total S of the 0‐ to 6‐cm depth was greater under broiler litter than under other fertilization strategies at the end of 3, 4, and 5 yr. Low and high grazing pressure were similar in their effect on soil organic C accumulation, averaging 140 g m −2 yr −1 Most of the net change in soil organic C occurred in the 0‐ to 2‐cm depth. Soil under unharvested and hayed management accumulated organic C at rates less than one‐half of those observed under cattle grazing. Cattle grazing shunted C more directly from forage to the soil, which contributed to greater sequestration of soil organic C than with haying or unharvested management.