Soil Structure & Compaction

AUS-TSW-LVG-SSC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

1000 kPa

Thresholds: Lower: —, Upper: 1500

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: MaximumOnly

Scoring Curve

This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context. The scoring engine uses 13 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 12 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

OptimalRange Primary MaximumOnly Guard LowerThreshold Guard MaximumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard LowerThreshold Guard MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard

Evidence & Context

The derived benchmark of less than 1,000 kilopascals (kPa) of penetration resistance is predicated on the critical threshold of 1,500 kPa, above which root growth of key pasture species begins to be significantly restricted.

Metric Definition:

Soil penetration resistance measured by cone penetrometer at or near field capacity, indicating soil physical resistance to root growth.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents the maximum soil penetration resistance below which soil physical resistance does not significantly impede root growth in temperate semi-arid shrublands and open woodlands under livestock grazing and pasture.

Justification:

The benchmark is derived by inference from established physiological thresholds rather than direct measurement of a verified 'best-on-offer' regenerative grazing site in the target biome.

Sources (1)

Managing sandy soils across low-rainfall regions of south-eastern Australia (GRDC Fact Sheet) Journal

Managing sandy soils across low-rainfall regions of south-eastern Australia (GRDC Fact Sheet)

View Source

Supporting Sources (2)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Impact of agricultural land use on distribution of microbial biomass and activity within soil aggregates - ResearchGate

Contextual Support Journal

Plant responses to livestock grazing frequency in an Australian temperate grassland, accessed August 8, 2025,

View Source

Soil Compaction Explained - Soil Quality Knowledge Base, accessed August 2, 2025,

Contextual Support

grdc.com.au

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Temperate Semi-Arid Shrublands & Open Woodlands
Land Use Livestock Grazing & Pasture
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type TargetCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 21 Mar 2026

Notes

Lower Critical Threshold: Soil function is compromised above 1,500 kPa, where root growth begins to be restricted. There is no evidence of a detrimental upper threshold (i.e., soil being 'too loose') in a grazing context; some evidence suggests an optimal density exists, below which root-soil contact may be sub-optimal. ConsistencyResolver applied 2026-03-23 00:15 UTC: UpperThreshold 1500 → 1500 (check: MinEqualsMax, rationale: Retain 1500 kPa as the upper threshold for degraded soil compaction; after swap, this remains the maximum limit.)

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TSW-LVG-SSC family.