Changes in soil phosphorus pool induced by pastureland intensification and diversification in Brazil.

The adoption of more intensive and diversified pasture systems is a promising alternative to improve sustainability of grazing lands in Brazil. Phosphorus (P) is one of the main determinants of ecosystem function in these management systems; therefore, we assessed the effects of adopting more intensive and diversified pasture management systems on soil P dynamics in a set of field experiments. Treatments included fertilized pasture (FP), integrated crop-livestock (ICL), integrated livestock-forest (ILF), compared to conventional management systems (CS) under contrasting climatic conditions (tropical humid, tropical mesic and subtropical).