Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)

AUS-TSR-AGR-SOC General High confidence

Benchmark Value

1.7 %

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: Point

Scoring Curve

This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context.

Evidence & Context

This system achieved the highest SOC content, measuring 1.7% (reported as 17 mg C g⁻¹ soil).

Metric Definition:

Soil Organic Carbon content in the 0-10 cm soil layer under best-practice regenerative agricultural management.

Benchmark Definition:

The highest SOC level achieved under a 'grass ley pasture' system, a form of best-practice regenerative agriculture integrating perennial phases into cropping rotation.

Justification:

It represents a high-health, real-world state under active agricultural management, not a theoretical maximum or pristine wilderness value.

Sources (1)

Preview of Farming system legacy impacts on the storage and persistence of soil organic carbon and understanding the different types carbon in northern cropping systems

Farming system legacy impacts on the storage and persistence of soil organic carbon and understanding the different types carbon in northern cropping systems Journal

Farming system legacy impacts on the storage and persistence of soil organic carbon and understanding the different types carbon in northern cropping systems

View Source

Supporting Sources (2)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Addressing the rundown of nitrogen and soil organic carbon - GRDC, accessed July 25, 2025,

Direct Evidence Journal

CRITICAL SOIL ORGANIC CARBON RANGE FOR OPTIMAL CROP RESPONSE TO MINERAL FERTILISER NITROGEN ON A FERRALSOL | Experimental Agriculture - Cambridge University Press

View Source

Preview of critical soil organic carbon range for optimal crop response to mineral fertiliser nitrogen on a ferralsol - ResearchGate, accessed August 3, 2025,

critical soil organic carbon range for optimal crop response to mineral fertiliser nitrogen on a ferralsol - ResearchGate, accessed August 3, 2025,

Direct Evidence

CRITICAL SOIL ORGANIC CARBON RANGE FOR OPTIMAL CROP ...

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Context

Region Australia
Biome Tropical & Subtropical Rainforests
Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 19 Mar 2026

Notes

This value is chosen as it reflects a high-health, real-world state under active agricultural management, not a theoretical maximum or pristine wilderness value. No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TSR-AGR-SOC family.