Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)

AUS-TGP-AGR-SOC General High confidence

Benchmark Value

1.5 %

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

An ambitious but realistic benchmark for a high-functioning sandy soil under best-practice cropping would be 1.5% SOC.

Metric Definition:

Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) in the top 10 cm of soil under best-practice cropping systems

Benchmark Definition:

Benchmark SOC level for sandy soils in temperate Australian cropping systems.

Justification:

An ambitious but achievable target for inherently low-carbon sandy soils.

Sources (1)

Beefing up carbon capture | On-farm emissions case studies - Agriculture Victoria Government

Beefing up carbon capture | On-farm emissions case studies - Agriculture Victoria

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Supporting Sources (4)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Development of a soil carbon benchmark matrix for central west NSW - IUSS

Direct Evidence Journal

Development of a soil carbon benchmark matrix for central west NSW - IUSS

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How Much Carbon Can Soil Store - NSW | Fact Sheets | soilquality ...

Direct Evidence Government

How Much Carbon Can Soil Store - NSW | Fact Sheets | soilquality.org.au

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Preview of Soil carbon dynamics under different cropping and pasture management in temperate Australia: Results of three long-term experiments - CSIRO Publishing

Soil carbon dynamics under different cropping and pasture management in temperate Australia: Results of three long-term experiments - CSIRO Publishing

Contextual Support Journal

Soil carbon dynamics under different cropping and pasture management in temperate Australia: Results of three long-term experiments - CSIRO Publishing

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Soil organic carbon thresholds control fertilizer effects on carbon accrual in croplands worldwide - PMC

Direct Evidence Journal

Soil organic carbon thresholds control fertilizer effects on carbon accrual in croplands worldwide - PMC

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Context

Region Australia
Biome Temperate Grassy Woodlands & Plains
Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type TargetCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 21 Mar 2026

Notes

Signifies a significant improvement over the degraded baseline and indicates effective management to overcome natural limitations. No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation.

Related Benchmarks

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