Soil Phosphorus

AUS-ASC-AGR-SOP General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range
Range: 800 to 1200 mg/kg
Optimal Range: 800 to 1200
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

For agricultural crop production in subalpine valley floors aiming for the "best available condition of nature," an indicative target for Total P might be to remain within the natural range observed for comparable, undisturbed soils on similar parent materials (e.g., for granitic-derived soils, this might be in the order of 800-1200 mg/kg, based on data such as Group 2 or Heath on Granite from Table 1).

Metric Definition:

Total Phosphorus (Total P): This metric reflects the overall P capital or reserve in the soil.

Justification:

The P levels observed in natural soils from comparable landscape positions (e.g., subalpine valleys) and parent materials serve as the most direct baseline.

Sources (1)

Preview of openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au, accessed on May 31, 2025
openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au, accessed on May 31, 2025 Journal

openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au, accessed on May 31, 2025

View Source

Supporting Sources (14)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of A simple phosphorus buffering index for Australian soils - University of Tasmania Open Access Repository Cover sheet
A simple phosphorus buffering index for Australian soils - University of Tasmania Open Access Repository Cover sheet
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Cycling of phosphorus in grazing systems - NSW Department of Primary Industries

View Source
Preview of Australian Alps Montane Grasslands | One Earth, accessed on May 28, 2025
Australian Alps Montane Grasslands | One Earth, accessed on May 28, 2025
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Alpine Rural Directions Strategy Issues and Opportunities Paper - AWS, accessed on May 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of Foreword: New directions for phosphorus management in Australian soils and farming systems - ResearchGate, accessed on May 31, 2025
Foreword: New directions for phosphorus management in Australian soils and farming systems - ResearchGate, accessed on May 31, 2025
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Foreword: New directions for phosphorus management in Australian soils and farming systems - ResearchGate, accessed on May 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of Global patterns and drivers of soil total phosphorus concentration - ESSD Copernicus, accessed on May 31, 2025
Global patterns and drivers of soil total phosphorus concentration - ESSD Copernicus, accessed on May 31, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Global patterns and drivers of soil total phosphorus concentration - ESSD Copernicus, accessed August 1, 2025

View Source
Preview of Integrating legacy soil phosphorus into sustainable nutrient management strategies for future food, bioenergy and water security, accessed on May 31, 2025
Integrating legacy soil phosphorus into sustainable nutrient management strategies for future food, bioenergy and water security, accessed on May 31, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Integrating legacy soil phosphorus into sustainable nutrient management strategies for future food, bioenergy and water security, accessed on May 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of Phosphorus for high rainfall clover pastures in Western Australia | Agriculture and Food
Phosphorus for high rainfall clover pastures in Western Australia | Agriculture and Food
Contextual Support

Agronomic soil tests can be used to estimate dissolved reactive phosphorus loss, accessed on May 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of Recovery of Alpine Vegetation from Grazing and Drought: Data from Long-term Photoquadrats in Kosciuszko National Park, Australia - BioOne Complete, accessed on May 31, 2025
Recovery of Alpine Vegetation from Grazing and Drought: Data from Long-term Photoquadrats in Kosciuszko National Park, Australia - BioOne Complete, accessed on May 31, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Sustainably growing horticulture value in cool climate Australia - University of Tasmania, accessed on May 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of Regenerative agriculture in Australia: the changing face of farming - Frontiers, accessed August 4, 2025
Regenerative agriculture in Australia: the changing face of farming - Frontiers, accessed August 4, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

NCC: Regenerative Agriculture and Soil Health - Wet Tropics Plan, accessed July 27, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Regenerative agriculture in Australia: the changing face of farming - Frontiers, accessed on May 31, 2025
Regenerative agriculture in Australia: the changing face of farming - Frontiers, accessed on May 31, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Residue Addition Can Mitigate Soil Health Challenges with Climate Change in Drylands: Insights from a Field Warming Experiment in Semi-Arid Texas - MDPI, accessed on May 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of Soil and Landscape Grid National Soil Attribute Maps - Available Phosphorus (3" resolution) - Release 1 - CSIRO Data Access Portal, accessed on May 31, 2025
Soil and Landscape Grid National Soil Attribute Maps - Available Phosphorus (3" resolution) - Release 1 - CSIRO Data Access Portal, accessed on May 31, 2025
Methodology Source Government

Soil and Landscape Grid National Soil Attribute Maps - Available Phosphorus (3" resolution) - Release 1 - CSIRO Data Access Portal, accessed August 1, 2025

View Source
Preview of Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia - TERN - esoil.io, accessed on May 31, 2025
Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia - TERN - esoil.io, accessed on May 31, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia - TERN - esoil.io, accessed on May 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of SUMMIT TECHNOTES TN03, accessed on May 31, 2025
SUMMIT TECHNOTES TN03, accessed on May 31, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Phosphorus - Soil Quality Knowledge Base, accessed on May 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of theaustralianalpsnationalparks.org, accessed on May 25, 2025,
theaustralianalpsnationalparks.org, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

theaustralianalpsnationalparks.org

View Source
Preview of www.environment.nsw.gov.au, accessed on May 25, 2025,
www.environment.nsw.gov.au, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Contextual Support

Australian Alps Montane Grasslands | One Earth, accessed on May 31, 2025

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Alpine and Subalpine Complex
  • Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
  • Assessment Pristine Reference
  • Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 24 Mar 2026

Notes

No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation. The reference value is context-dependent, varying for soils derived from different geologies.

Related Benchmarks

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

— mg/kg Moderate
Agricultural Crop Production · Pristine Reference
OptimalRange Active v1
— mg/kg Moderate
Agricultural Crop Production · Pristine Reference
OptimalRange Active v1