Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)
Benchmark Value
Scoring Curve
The scoring engine could not generate a curve for this benchmark context. The primary form is CompositeFramework, but the benchmark data may be missing required fields (e.g., optimal range bounds for an OptimalRange benchmark). This is typically a data quality issue in the benchmark pipeline.
Evidence & Context
A technical report from the Goulburn-Broken Catchment Management Authority, synthesizing extensive data and expert opinion, explicitly states that an SOC level of less than 1% is considered functionally impaired.
Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) percentage in the top 0-10 cm soil layer below which soil function is impaired.
Critical lower threshold of SOC below which soil health and productivity are compromised in arid mountain agricultural crop production areas.
Below this threshold, soils exhibit poor aggregate stability, low water infiltration, diminished nutrient supply, and low biological activity.
Sources (1)
Soil Organic Carbon update 2022-2023 - Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority
View SourceSupporting Sources (3)
Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.
Soil Organic Carbon Benchmarks - Department for Environment and Water
View SourceThe value of soil organic matter and how we can slow its decline under cropping systems: Data from 500 paired-site comparisons - Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC)
View SourceThe value of soil organic matter and how we can slow its decline under cropping systems: Data from 500 paired-site comparisons - Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), accessed August 5, 2025
View Source