Getting more effective rainfall, and protecting the soil resource
The Pasture Health Kit developed by MLA covers methods of managing ground cover, mapping land class units and displays ground cover percentages in individual photographs, allowing landholders to identify actual groundcover percentages across their land holdings.
Managing ground cover to improve pasture sustainability and productivity can increase available rainfall for plant growth by up to 150mm per year.
Associated with high levels of ground cover (more than 70%) are:
- Reduced water run-off enables higher water infiltration into the soil for plant growth,
- Less soil loss by erosion,
- Reduced losses of nutrients into water ways and off the site,
- Reduced water loss by evaporation from the soil,
- Increased pasture growth,
- Reduced weed colonisation,
- Increased microbial activity and nutrient cycling to develop a healthier soil,
- Higher animal production through improved soil and pasture growth,
At low levels of ground cover, water run-off volumes and soil losses are high. Maintain ground cover above 70% to reduce these losses.
