Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)

AUS-TMS-AGR-SOC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

0.6 %

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: MinimumOnly

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 2 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 1 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

OptimalRange Primary MinimumOnly Guard

Evidence & Context

A lower critical threshold of approximately 1.0% SOC (0-10cm) is identified for many tropical cropping soils (potentially 0.6-0.8% for sands), below which essential soil functions are significantly impaired.

Metric Definition:

Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) in the 0-10cm soil layer

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark sets a minimum Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) threshold of 0.6% in the 0-10cm soil layer for sandy soils in tropical monsoonal savannas, below which soil functions are impaired.

Justification:

Sandy soils have lower inherent capacity to protect organic matter; functional impairment is severe at these levels.

Sources (33)

Preview of (PDF) What Climate and Environmental Benefits of Regenerative Agriculture Practices? An Evidence Review - ResearchGate

(PDF) What Climate and Environmental Benefits of Regenerative Agriculture Practices? An Evidence Review - ResearchGate Journal

(PDF) What Climate and Environmental Benefits of Regenerative Agriculture Practices? An Evidence Review - ResearchGate

Preview of Carbon accounting, land management, science and policy uncertainty in Australian savanna landscapes: introduction and overview - ResearchGate

Carbon accounting, land management, science and policy uncertainty in Australian savanna landscapes: introduction and overview - ResearchGate Journal

Carbon accounting, land management, science and policy uncertainty in Australian savanna landscapes: introduction and overview - ResearchGate

Preview of Carbon balance of a tropical savanna of northern Australia - CiteSeerX, accessed July 24, 2025,

Carbon balance of a tropical savanna of northern Australia - CiteSeerX, accessed July 24, 2025, GreyLiterature

Submission to the ERAC review of the ACCU scheme's 2021 measurement and modelled soil carbon method

Preview of Categories - soil organic carbon - CSIRO Data Access Portal

Categories - soil organic carbon - CSIRO Data Access Portal

Categories - soil organic carbon - CSIRO Data Access Portal

Preview of Conservation agriculture improves soil health and sustains crop yields after long-term warming - PMC - PubMed Central

Conservation agriculture improves soil health and sustains crop yields after long-term warming - PMC - PubMed Central Journal

Conservation agriculture improves soil health and sustains crop yields after long-term warming - PMC - PubMed Central

Preview of Cover Crop Options for Hot and Humid Areas - ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture

Cover Crop Options for Hot and Humid Areas - ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture GreyLiterature

Cover Crop Options for Hot and Humid Areas - ATTRA – Sustainable Agriculture

Preview of DOCUMENTATION OF LITERATURE, DATA, AND MODELING ANALYSIS TO SUPPORT THE TREATMENT OF CSA PRACTICES THAT REDUCE AGRICULTURAL SOIL - USDA

DOCUMENTATION OF LITERATURE, DATA, AND MODELING ANALYSIS TO SUPPORT THE TREATMENT OF CSA PRACTICES THAT REDUCE AGRICULTURAL SOIL - USDA Journal

DOCUMENTATION OF LITERATURE, DATA, AND MODELING ANALYSIS TO SUPPORT THE TREATMENT OF CSA PRACTICES THAT REDUCE AGRICULTURAL SOIL - USDA

Preview of Effect of cropping practices on soil organic carbon: evidence from long-term field experiments in Victoria, Australia - ResearchGate, accessed July 6, 2025,

Effect of cropping practices on soil organic carbon: evidence from long-term field experiments in Victoria, Australia - ResearchGate, accessed July 6, 2025,

Effect of cropping practices on soil organic carbon: evidence from long-term field experiments in Victoria, Australia - ResearchGate

Preview of Effect of Long-Term Conservation Tillage on Soil Physical Properties and Soil Health under Rice-Wheat Cropping System in Sub Tropical India - ResearchGate

Effect of Long-Term Conservation Tillage on Soil Physical Properties and Soil Health under Rice-Wheat Cropping System in Sub Tropical India - ResearchGate Journal

Effect of Long-Term Conservation Tillage on Soil Physical Properties and Soil Health under Rice-Wheat Cropping System in Sub Tropical India - ResearchGate

Preview of Filling the Research Gap - The National Soil Carbon Program

Filling the Research Gap - The National Soil Carbon Program Journal

Filling the Research Gap - The National Soil Carbon Program

Preview of Final Report 1 AOTGR1-66 POLICY DELIVERY ACTION ON THE GROUND 1 Application ID - Tweed Shire Council

Final Report 1 AOTGR1-66 POLICY DELIVERY ACTION ON THE GROUND 1 Application ID - Tweed Shire Council Journal

Final Report 1 AOTGR1-66 POLICY DELIVERY ACTION ON THE GROUND 1 Application ID - Tweed Shire Council

Preview of How soil organic matter and carbon work! Data from 500 paired-site ...

How soil organic matter and carbon work! Data from 500 paired-site ... Journal

How soil organic matter and carbon work! Data from 500 paired-site ...

Preview of Important constraints on soil organic carbon formation efficiency in subtropical and tropical grasslands - Research, accessed August 11, 2025

Important constraints on soil organic carbon formation efficiency in subtropical and tropical grasslands - Research, accessed August 11, 2025 Journal

Opposing patterns of carbon and nitrogen stability in soil organic matter fractions compared to whole soil - CSIRO Research Publications Repository

Preview of Influence of Cover Crops and Fertility Management on Soil Health and Soil Microbial Community by Hannah Leigh Decker A thesis su - Auburn University

Influence of Cover Crops and Fertility Management on Soil Health and Soil Microbial Community by Hannah Leigh Decker A thesis su - Auburn University Journal

Influence of Cover Crops and Fertility Management on Soil Health and Soil Microbial Community by Hannah Leigh Decker A thesis su - Auburn University

Preview of Long-term Impacts of Tillage and Cover Cropping on Soil Organic ...

Long-term Impacts of Tillage and Cover Cropping on Soil Organic ... Journal

Long-term Impacts of Tillage and Cover Cropping on Soil Organic ...

$Preview of Long-term land use change in Australia from native forest decreases all fractions of soil organic carbon, including resistant organic carbon, for cropping but not sown pasture - ResearchGate, accessed August 5, 2025,$

Long-term land use change in Australia from native forest decreases all fractions of soil organic carbon, including resistant organic carbon, for cropping but not sown pasture - ResearchGate, accessed August 5, 2025, Journal

Soil microbial activity and litter turnover in native grazed and ungrazed rangelands in semiarid ecosystem - ResearchGate

Preview of MANAGING SOIL ORGANIC MATTER - Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC)

MANAGING SOIL ORGANIC MATTER - Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Journal

MANAGING SOIL ORGANIC MATTER - Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC)

$Preview of Mapping soil organic carbon fractions for Australia, their stocks and uncertainty - BG, accessed August 5, 2025$

Mapping soil organic carbon fractions for Australia, their stocks and uncertainty - BG, accessed August 5, 2025 Journal

(PDF) Carbon Balance of a Tropical Savanna of Northern Australia

$Preview of Mapping soil organic carbon fractions for Australia, their stocks, and uncertainty - BG, accessed July 6, 2025,$

Mapping soil organic carbon fractions for Australia, their stocks, and uncertainty - BG, accessed July 6, 2025, Journal

Benefits and trade-offs of soil organic carbon sequestration - OAPEN Library

Preview of Minimum tillage as climate-smart agriculture practice and its impact on food and nutrition security - PubMed Central

Minimum tillage as climate-smart agriculture practice and its impact on food and nutrition security - PubMed Central Journal

Cover crops and carbon stocks: How under-vine management influences SOC inputs and turnover in two vineyards - PubMed

Preview of Negative correlation between soil salinity and soil organic carbon variability - PMC

Negative correlation between soil salinity and soil organic carbon variability - PMC Journal

Negative correlation between soil salinity and soil organic carbon variability - PMC

Preview of Northern grazing carbon farming – integrating production and greenhouse gas outcomes 1 - FutureBeef

Northern grazing carbon farming – integrating production and greenhouse gas outcomes 1 - FutureBeef Journal

Northern grazing carbon farming – integrating production and greenhouse gas outcomes 1 - FutureBeef

Preview of Optimal Fire Regimes for Soil Carbon Storage in Tropical Savannas of Northern Australia | Request PDF - ResearchGate

Optimal Fire Regimes for Soil Carbon Storage in Tropical Savannas of Northern Australia | Request PDF - ResearchGate Journal

Carbon balance of a tropical savanna of northern Australia - CiteSeerX

Preview of Refining benchmarks for soil organic carbon in Australia's temperate forests - ResearchGate, accessed August 28, 2025,

Refining benchmarks for soil organic carbon in Australia's temperate forests - ResearchGate, accessed August 28, 2025, GreyLiterature

Refining benchmarks for soil organic carbon in Australia's temperate forests - ResearchGate

Preview of Soil carbon sequestration in rangelands a critical review of the impacts of major management strategies - CSIRO Publishing, accessed August 5, 2025,

Soil carbon sequestration in rangelands a critical review of the impacts of major management strategies - CSIRO Publishing, accessed August 5, 2025, Journal

Managing cattle grazing intensity: effects on soil organic matter and soil nitrogen, accessed July 23, 2025

Preview of Soil carbon sequestration in rangelands: a critical review of the impacts of major management strategies - CSIRO Publishing

Soil carbon sequestration in rangelands: a critical review of the impacts of major management strategies - CSIRO Publishing Journal

Soil carbon sequestration in rangelands: a critical review of the impacts of major management strategies - CSIRO Publishing

Preview of Soil Carbon Snapshot - Agriculture Victoria, accessed August 5, 2025,

Soil Carbon Snapshot - Agriculture Victoria, accessed August 5, 2025, Journal

Soil Carbon Snapshot - Agriculture Victoria

Preview of Soil health for vegetable production in Australia (Part 3 of 6) - DAF Qld

Soil health for vegetable production in Australia (Part 3 of 6) - DAF Qld

Soil health for vegetable production in Australia (Part 3 of 6) - DAF Qld

Preview of Soil Health Indicators Under Climate Change: A Review of Current Knowledge | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed July 25, 2025,

Soil Health Indicators Under Climate Change: A Review of Current Knowledge | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed July 25, 2025, GreyLiterature

Soil Health Indicators Under Climate Change: A Review of Current Knowledge | Request PDF - ResearchGate

Preview of Soil Organic Matter Dynamics and Carbon Sequestration in Australian Tropical Soils

Soil Organic Matter Dynamics and Carbon Sequestration in Australian Tropical Soils GreyLiterature

Soil Health Literature - Summaries and Citations - Natural Resources Conservation Service

Preview of Soil Quality and Its Management in Humid Subtropical and Tropical Environments - UKnowledge, accessed May 15, 2025,

Soil Quality and Its Management in Humid Subtropical and Tropical Environments - UKnowledge, accessed May 15, 2025,

Soil Quality and Its Management in Humid Subtropical and Tropical Environments - UKnowledge

Preview of THREATS TO SOILS: GLOBAL TRENDS AND PERSPECTIVES - UNCCD

THREATS TO SOILS: GLOBAL TRENDS AND PERSPECTIVES - UNCCD Journal

THREATS TO SOILS: GLOBAL TRENDS AND PERSPECTIVES - UNCCD

Preview of www.apni.net

www.apni.net Journal

www.apni.net