A field study in Randall County, Texas, was conducted to determine how soil bulk density and plant cover change over time in response to deferment following a high-density, high-intensity, short-term grazing/trampling event. Green Sprangletop (Leptocloa dubia Kunth.) and Kleingrass (Panicum coloratum L.) were broadcasted at 4.5 kg ha⁻¹ pure live seed (PLS) on former cropland that had a partial stand of WW-Spar Bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum L.). A high-density, high-intensity trampling event was achieved with twenty-four 408-kg Bos taurus heifers occupying four 0.10-ha plots (97 920 kg live weight ha⁻¹) for 10 h, with four adjacent 0.10-ha control plots left untrampled. Canopy and basal cover were determined by plant functional group using the Daubenmire method after rainfall events of > 0.254 cm, and a 5.08 × 7.62 cm core was collected to determine soil bulk density. Strips of supplemental plant material were applied in March to test the effects of 100% soil cover on seedling recruitment. Trampled treatments had 30% less vegetative cover (P < 0.01) and average soil bulk densities that were 0.20 g cm⁻³ higher (P < 0.01) than untrampled plots post trampling. Bulk density decreased with deferral until there were no significant differences between treatments (240 d). However, WW-Spar basal cover increased in both treatments, with no differences between treatments. Trampling did not affect seedling recruitment, but supplemental cover increased seedling density on three of five subsequent sampling dates (P < 0.05). Canopy cover of warm season perennial grasses in trampled treatments surpassed that of the untrampled treatments during the early growing season of 2016 (P < 0.01) but were no different after mid-June. Hydrologic function can be maintained with high stock densities by providing adequate deferment to reestablish sufficient cover and allow natural processes to restore porosity.

在德克萨斯州兰德尔县进行了一项野外研究，以确定在高密度，高强度，短期放牧/踩踏事件发生后，土壤容重和植物覆盖度如何随时间的变化而变化。绿色千金（Leptocloa鳖Kunth）和Kleingrass（柳枝coloratum L.）在4.5公斤公顷广播^-1的前田纯活种子（PLS），其有WW-晶石须芒草（的部分立场白羊草L.）。24个408千克的金牛座小母牛占据了四个0.10公顷的田地（97 920千克活重，公顷^-1），实现了高密度，高强度的践踏活动）10小时，并保留了四个相邻的0.10公顷对照样地。在> 0.254 cm的降雨事件后，使用Daubenmire方法由植物功能组确定冠层和基层覆盖，并收集5.08×7.62 cm的岩心来确定土壤容重。三月份应用了补充性植物材料条带，以测试100％的土壤覆盖对幼苗募集的影响。踩踏处理的植物的营养覆盖率降低了30％（P <0.01），平均土壤容重提高了0.20 g cm ^- ³（P<0.01）比践踏后未踩踏的地块。堆积密度随推迟而降低，直到处理之间没有显着差异（240 d）。但是，两种处理中WW-Spar的基础覆盖均增加，各处理之间无差异。踩踏并没有影响幼苗的募集，但是补充覆盖物在随后的五个采样日中的三个采样日增加了幼苗的密度（P <0.05）。在践踏处理中，暖季多年生禾草的冠层覆盖率在2016早期生长期超过了未套叠处理（P <0.01），但在6月中旬之后没有变化。通过提供足够的延迟来重新建立足够的覆盖率并允许自然过程恢复孔隙度，可以以较高的种群密度维持水文功能。