Higher degree of soil penetrometer resistance can reduce forage yields and can lead to water and soil quality degradation due to increased runoff and soil structure destruction. The inability of roots to penetrate in soils with high penetrometer resistance will result in decreased yield. With less root penetration into the soil, root mass is reduced and plant’s ability to take up nutrients is reduced. To test whether cattle congregation sites typical on most forage-based cow-calf ranches, such as mineral feeders, water troughs, and shaded areas are more compacted and have greater soil penetrometer resistance than in other pasture locations under Florida conditions, soil penetrometer resistance data around and beneath three cattle congregation sites in established (>10 yr) grazed beef cattle pastures were collected in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Penetrometer readings were collected from two soil depths (0–20 and 20–40 cm) at different locations around the cattle congregation sites following radial (every 90 degrees: north, south, east, and west direction) sampling patterns at 0.9, 1.7, 3.3, 6.7, 13.3, 26.7 and 53.3 m away from the approximate center of cattle congregation sites. Results showed that area around or near cattle congregation sites tended to have higher soil penetrometer resistance values than in other locations within pasture field because of the frequent concentration of cattle around the different cattle congregation sites. Soil penetrometer resistance decreases linearly with distance away from the center of mineral feeders and water troughs; however, soil penetrometer resistance at the shaded areas was showing slight increase with distance away from the center. The least soil penetrometer resistance in all years were observed from shaded areas (1 200 × 10³ Pa) while soil penetrometer resistance at water troughs was about 1 600 × 10³ Pa and at mineral feeders of 1 800 × 10³ Pa. These values were in the “fair” range of root penetration. Penetrometer resistance of soils can be a good predictor of root system performance and especially useful in predicting root extension into the deeper regions of the root zone at the congregation zone and grazing zone in pasture.

中文翻译：

---

奶牛聚集区对土壤针入度计阻力的长期影响：对土壤和草料质量的影响

较高的土壤耐渗度计电阻会降低草料产量，并可能由于径流增加和土壤结构破坏而导致水和土壤质量下降。根不能穿透具有高耐渗透性的土壤，将导致产量下降。随着更少的根渗透到土壤中，根质量减少，植物吸收养分的能力降低。为了测试大多数基于草料的牛犊牧场中典型的牛群集聚场所（例如矿产喂食器，水槽和阴影区域）是否比佛罗里达州条件下的其他牧场位置更密实，土壤抗渗透性更强，土壤抗渗透性数据在2004年，2005年和2006年收集了已建立的（> 10年）放牧的肉牛牧场的三个牛群聚集点周围和下方。根据径向（每90度：北，南，东和西方向）在0.9、1.7、1.9、1.7和1.9的径向采样模式，从牲畜聚集地周围不同位置的两个土壤深度（0–20和20–40 cm）收集渗透计读数。距离牲畜聚集地点的大致中心3.3、6.7、13.3、26.7和53.3 m。结果表明，由于牧场周围不同地区牛群的集中分布，牛群集聚区周围或附近的土壤渗透计阻力值往往高于牧场中的其他区域。土壤针入度计的阻力随着距矿物进料器和水槽中心的距离的增加而线性减小。然而，阴影区域的土壤渗透仪阻力随着距中心距离的增加而略有增加。³ Pa），而土壤渗透仪在水槽处的阻力约为1600×10 ³ Pa，而在矿物进料器中的阻力为1800×10 ³ Pa。这些值在根渗透的“合理”范围内。土壤的针入度电阻可以很好地预测根系的性能，并且特别适用于预测根向草场中会聚区和放牧区的根区扩展到更深的区域。