Carbon balance of a grazed pasture and its response to grazing management

The C balance of a grazed pasture situated in Condroz (Wallonia) and its dependence on climatic conditions and grazing management were investigated on the basis of eddy covariance measurements and horizontal C flow estimates.

In average on three years, NEE was +43±24 gCm-2yr-1 and NBP was +7±26 gCm-2yr-1, suggesting that that the site is C neutral. Management by the farmer (organic fertilization), but also climate conditions influencing management (feed supplements), were the main factors impacting the C balance inter-annual variability.

At a daily and seasonal scale, grazing impact on CO2 fluxes did not appear explicitly, being blurred by flux response to climate drivers. It was highlighted by specific investigations.

The indirect grazing impact (photosynthesizing biomass consumption, excretions, soil compaction) was deduced from an analysis of the flux to PPFD response evolution during grazing period; the direct impact (livestock respiration) was investigated through confinement experiments.

Result showed that saturation GPP changes were negatively correlated to grazing intensity (product of the stocking rate and grazing duration). On the contrary, no significant change in TER was observed. The direct impact of grazing due to cattle respiration was estimated to 2.59±0.58 kgCLU-1day-1, i.e. 8% of the TER.