Effect of topography on temporal stability of soil parameters in mediterranean permanent pastures

Abstract

In order to evaluate the effect of topography on spatial and temporal stability of macronutrients, organic matter and pH of soil in Mediterranean permanent pastures, between 2004 and 2010, an experiment was carried out in a bio-diverse pasture. For geo-referenced soil sampling, a 6 ha field was divided into 20 squares, with 56 m sides. Field topography showed a significant influence on the dynamics of soil nutrients and can be used in combination with different types of agronomic information to explaining the soil nutrients variability. pH was the only soil chemical characteristic that presented a high spatial and temporal stability during the six years of the experiment. These results confirm the complex dynamic of the soil nutrients in Mediterranean pastures involving two biological systems, plants and animals, and difficult the site-specific management strategy implementation.