The Effect of Stocking Rate on Soil Glomalin under Traditional and Mixed Grazing Systems in a Temperate Steppe

It is of great importance to maintain the soil health in grassland ecosystem. Glomalin, a secretion of the Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), was proved to be a useful biochemical parameter to evaluate the soil fertility. Present study designed a field experiment to investigate the effect of stocking rate on soil glomalin under traditional and mixed grazing systems in a temperate steppe of China. The results showed that grazing system significantly affected the amount of glomalin, and higher values of total glomalin (TG), total glomalin storage (TGs) and a higher ratio of (TGs) to soil organic carbon storage (TGs/SOCs) were found during the mixed system (MS), however, lower values of easily extractable glomalin (EEG) and soil organic carbon (SOCs) were achieved. In traditional system (TS), higher values of TG, TGs and TGs/SOCs were found in the control (S0) and light grazing treatments (S3). The obtained results indicate that light or moderate grazing would favorable to grassland and compared with TS, MS was a preferable grazing system to the maintenance of grassland ecosystem.