Impact of Mixed Grazing (MG) of Cattle with Small Ruminants on Soil and Its Properties

Beyond other advantages of mixed grazing (MG) understood as the combination of different livestock species, a key aspect concerns its effects on soil. MG has been shown to increase the spatial extent of plant root systems, thereby reducing nutrient leaching. At the same time, it appears to decrease soil bulk density compared to single-species grazing, making it a promising management option in situations where enhanced water infiltration and reduced rapid surface runoff are desired. MG contributes to the maintenance and enhancement of soil food web structure and function, as reflected by an increased functional metabolic footprint of nematodes and higher energy fluxes. Furthermore, studies have demonstrated that MG increases bacterial and fungal richness while simultaneously reducing the stochasticity in ecological interactions compared with single species grazing. In contrast, grazing by monospecific herds of cattle or sheep tends to exert negative effects on the structure and functioning of the soil food web. MG promotes nitrogen retention, enhances phosphorus mobilization, and improves plant–microbe interactions, thereby supporting nutrient cycling stability, particularly in alpine grasslands. In soils under MG, compared with soils grazed exclusively by sheep or cattle, extractable calcium concentrations are higher, whereas potassium concentrations are lower. In addition, MG is associated with higher zinc concentrations in the A soil horizon and higher magnesium concentrations in the B soil horizon.