The latest science on soil carbon
Agriculture Victoria is encouraging farmers to download a new online booklet to learn more about the latest soil carbon science.
The Soil Carbon Snapshot booklet is one of a number of tools being developed to support farmers to reduce their on-farm emissions, manage their climate risk and improve productivity.
Agriculture Victoria land health project leader Melissa Cann said there are many ways to increase soil carbon while also increasing productivity, water holding capacity and nutrient cycling.
“Increasing soil carbon will reduce input costs and produce wider natural resource management benefits,” Ms Cann said.
“If you are trying to better understand the fundamentals of soil carbon in agriculture, this is a great resource to start your journey.”
The free updated booklet has 70 references to soil research papers, abstracts or reports, all hyperlinked for easy access and use.
“Soil organic matter makes up a small component of the soil mass, yet it has an important role in the functioning of the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil,” Ms Cann said.
“Soil organic carbon is a measure of the carbon contained within soil organic matter and increasing soil carbon levels can lead to better plant establishment and growth.”
Ms Cann said the original booklet was written by Agriculture Victoria in 2013 as part of a program to summarise the latest science on soil carbon, as a resource for Fertiliser Australia and their national Fertcare® advisor training program.
“With the current renewed interest in soil carbon it was time for an update.
“Fertiliser Australia in partnership with the International Fertiliser Society also recently ran a series of webinars with expert speakers and had this updated booklet available online as a timely resource for those keen to understand the latest science.”
Recordings of these webinars can be viewed online.
Agriculture Victoria is helping the agriculture sector respond to climate change and reduce emissions through its Agriculture Sector Pledge program, conducting research trials to test methane inhibiting feed additives and delivering an innovative pilot involving 250 farm businesses in a free on-farm emissions assessment.
The booklet can be downloaded from the Agriculture Victoria web page.