کد مقاله کد نشریه سال انتشار مقاله انگلیسی نسخه تمام متن
4479323 1316437 2011 11 صفحه PDF دانلود رایگان
عنوان انگلیسی مقاله ISI
Environmental quality of Lower Little Bow River and riparian zone along an unfenced reach with off-stream watering
موضوعات مرتبط
علوم زیستی و بیوفناوری علوم کشاورزی و بیولوژیک علوم زراعت و اصلاح نباتات
پیش نمایش صفحه اول مقاله
Environmental quality of Lower Little Bow River and riparian zone along an unfenced reach with off-stream watering
چکیده انگلیسی

The goal of beneficial management practices (BMPs) such as off-stream watering without fencing is to direct cattle away from rivers, improve the environmental quality of the riparian zone, and prevent or reduce river pollution. We conducted a four year (2005–2008) study on an unfenced 1.3 km reach of the Lower Little Bow (LLB) River in southern Alberta, Canada where three off-stream watering systems were installed 290 to ≥730 m from the river in August, 2005. Our hypothesis was that off-stream watering would reduce cattle activity at the river, improve riparian health, prevent river pollution by cattle, and improve the soil, vegetative, and rainfall simulation runoff variables at a cattle access site near the river. Off-stream watering did not significantly (p > 0.10) reduce the median number of cattle on the river bank, in the river, or drinking from the river one year later. However, there was a reduction of 20% (p = 0.15) for median number of cattle on the river bank and a 72% reduction (p = 0.20) for cattle in the river. The BMP moderately improved the riparian health score from 60% (2005) to 65% (2007). Our spatial analysis (upstream–downstream) of base-flow during the post-BMP period (2006–2008) suggested that off-stream watering prevented river pollution by cattle for the majority of water quality variables measured. Canopy cover at the cattle access site near the river was significantly (p ≤ 0.10) increased by 26–53% one and two years after the BMP. Two years after the BMP was implemented, total basal area, biomass, and mulch were significantly increased by 37–106%, while bare soil and NO3-N in surface soil were decreased by 38–89%, respectively. In contrast, other vegetative and soil properties were not significantly improved. Concentrations of the majority of N and P fractions in rainfall simulation runoff were not significantly reduced, and may be related to the high precipitation in the pre-BMP year of 2005. We accept the hypothesis that off-stream watering improved riparian health, prevented river pollution by cattle, and improved certain vegetative (canopy cover, total basal area, mulch, bare soil) and soil properties (soil NO3-N) near the river. However, we reject the hypothesis that off-stream watering improved other vegetation (live basal area) and soil properties (bulk density, NH4-N, total N and C), or improved rainfall simulation runoff quality near the river. Although we cannot statistically prove that the positive benefits of off-stream watering on certain environmental variables was due to reduced cattle activity, the non-significant reductions in cattle activity suggested this may be a possibility.


► We evaluated off-stream watering on riparian zone and river.
► Off-stream watering reduced cattle on the river bank and in river.
► The BMP improved riparian health and prevented river pollution by cattle.
► Certain vegetative properties were improved at the cattle access site.
► Rainfall simulation quality at cattle access site was not affected.

ناشر
Database: Elsevier - ScienceDirect (ساینس دایرکت)
Journal: Agricultural Water Management - Volume 98, Issue 10, August 2011, Pages 1505–1515
نویسندگان
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