Abstract:
Identification of plant resources that persist unde
r grazing pressure, support desirable levels of
production and at the same time protect the grazing
environment is central to sustainable livestock
production. This study assessed the infiltration ca
pacity and soil loss associated with perennial swar
ds
subjected to different levels of utilization using s
imulated rainfall. The hypothesis was tested that
grazed perennial swards have similar hydrologic prop
erties and threshold removal levels below which
runoff increases markedly. Infiltration capacity f
or the perennial swards increased with increasing
stubble height before leveling off towards the high
est stubble height. A 50% removal of current growth
was the upper limit above which runoffs from the sw
ards increased rapidly. Aggregate stability, organi
c
carbon and percent ground plant cover were the most
significant attributes that influenced infiltratio
n
capacity.
Panicum maximum
and
Enteropogon macrostachyus
were the most suitable perennial swards
with favourable soil physical properties and infilt
ration capacities in the study area. The results su
pport
the existence of a threshold level of sward stubble
height for minimizing runoff.
