During winter and spring, soils are wet and prone to pugging damage from animal treading. This damage can present a harsh effect on the potential yield of spring-sown crops.

There are management options for farmers to reduce the effects of pugging damage on farms, which include:

» Grazing known wetter paddocks before soils are saturated, or when soil moisture is ideal for safe grazing.

» Building pasture cover leading into the wet season, as good pasture cover can give protection against treading damage.

» Back fencing to stop animals from walking unnecessarily over an already grazed area.

» Using short periods of grazing followed by a period of stand-off (on/off grazing).

However, even with the best of intentions, damage to the soil structure from pugging can be unavoidable.

Pugging damage results in poor pasture utilisation at the time of grazing, and reduces pasture growth rates after the grazing event. Come mid to late spring, pastures can appear to have recovered, though this can mask the hidden effects of pugging damage. This is because pugging damage is detrimental to the soil structure, and this is harder to identify without digging a hole. Pugging damage can result in an increase in soil bulk density from compaction, and a decrease in soil porosity which in turn decreases aeration and drainage.

Pastures that have had pugging damage can often be put into a spring-sown crop for summer or winter feed. However, the compaction created by the pugging can impede soil drainage and restrict root growth, affecting crop yield. If you happen to have compacted soil, you could consider subsoiling or ripping before planting the spring crop. Subsoiling or ripping allows the compaction layer to break up, improving water and root movement through the profile. This option is particularly beneficial on clay or clay-loam soils prone to pugging damage.

Technical tips:

» Soils are deficient in nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S) in late winter/early spring. Products that apply N and S are a good option to help boost early spring growth.

» When walking paddocks to be put into spring-sown crops, dig a hole in the soil (20 -30 cm deep) and look for signs of compaction. If compaction is identified, then ripping can help improve crop yield.

For advice on identifying pugging damage and how to recover soil structure, contact your local PGG Wrightson Technical Field Representative.