Soil Phosphorus

AUS-TSR-AGR-SOP General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Range: 20 to 30 mg/kg

Optimal Range: 20 to 30

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: OptimalRange

Scoring Curve

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

Evidence & Context

Table 3: Final Recommended Functional Range for Soil Phosphorus (Colwell-P, mg/kg) in Best-Practice Tropical Agricultural Systems

Metric Definition:

Soil phosphorus concentration measured as Colwell-P, stratified by Phosphorus Buffering Index (PBI) class.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark defines the target soil phosphorus range for agricultural crop production in tropical and subtropical rainforests of Australia with a Phosphorus Buffering Index (PBI) of 50-100, representing the best available condition balancing productivity and ecological health.

Justification:

Derived from More Beef from Pastures guidelines, representing a balance of productivity and ecological integrity.

Sources (1)

Preview of Soil nutrient critical limits | MBFP | More Beef from Pastures - MLA, accessed May 13, 2025,

Soil nutrient critical limits | MBFP | More Beef from Pastures - MLA, accessed May 13, 2025, Government

Understanding soil tests for pastures | Soil | Farm management ..., accessed July 17, 2025

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Tropical & Subtropical Rainforests
Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type HealthyOperationalRange

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 1 Jun 2026

Notes

No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation. Exceeding 30 mg/kg is linked to biodiversity loss and nutrient runoff risks. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

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