Soil health tests
Ground cover condition
What is it? How to assess it:
Ground cover condition assesses ground cover
and the type of productive plants. Ground cover
is any material that covers bare soil and protects
it from exposure, evaporation and erosion. It
includes grasses, shrubs and trees, plant litter,
fallen leaves, branches, manure and rocks. Ground cover condition is assessed by two tests
that can be carried out at the same time for
groundcover and productive plants. The Step
Point method is used.
Productive plants are species that contribute to
grazing productivity, landscape and soil health.
For the purpose of this test, these plants include
healthy perennial, palatable and productive (3P)
grasses as well as legumes and forbs.
Why it is important:
Ground cover condition is important for soil,
landscape health and grazing productivity.
Groundcover levels at the end of the dry season
are crucial going into the next wet season,
as good levels protect soil from erosion and
surface capping by rainsplash. Without ground
cover, water infiltration is reduced and the soil is
exposed to greater temperature fluctuation and
evaporation rates.
Soil health and productivity is increased where
groundcover is composed of productive plants
such as 3P grasses. The root systems of these
plants contribute to soil organic matter, soil
structure and water infiltration in a landscape.
Legumes and forbs contribute nitrogen and
increase nutrient cycling. Trees also play a role
in cycling nutrients by drawing nutrients to the
surface from deep within the soil.
12 - RASH MANUAL
Use the worksheet at the back of the manual.
Walk along the sample transect. At each step,
record the type of ground cover touching the toe
of your shoe and whether it is a productive plant.
Note this on the Ground cover condition
worksheet located on the back of the Bullseye
Score Card.
Tally the results to get the percentage of
groundcover and the percentage of productive
plant coverage figure for the monitoring site.
Score this result using the Groundcover and
Productive Plant Scoring table and complete the
Bullseye Score Card.
Measuring method:
Assess and record groundcover and productive
plant cover for 25 steps along the monitoring
transect.
Start at the beginning of the transect and take
25 evenly spaced paces along it, recording
observations at each step.
Equipment:
Ground Cover Condition Worksheet, Plant
Identification Books, pen, clipboard, calculator.