Litter Cover
Benchmark Value
Scoring Curve
This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context.
Evidence & Context
A national-level government report notes that across a range of soils and land uses, achieving 20-30% cover can reduce water-induced soil erosion by a remarkable 80-90%.5 While a target of 70% is often promoted for complete protection against water erosion 5, other sources specifically identify the 30% mark as a critical tipping point.
Litter cover, defined as the proportion of the soil surface covered by dead plant material.
This benchmark identifies 30% litter cover as the critical lower threshold below which soil erosion risk increases dramatically in agricultural systems.
The lower critical threshold is set at 30% cover because below this level, the system becomes highly susceptible to severe water erosion and functionally inefficient at capturing and storing rainfall.
Sources (2)
Grazing-management-for-soil-carbon-in-Australia-A-review.pdf - University of Tasmania, accessed April 29, 2025,
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The relationships between land management practices and ... - DAFF, accessed July 23, 2025
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Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.
Managing stubble | General agronomy | Crop production | Grains ..., accessed July 23, 2025
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Melon cover crops - Northern Territory Government, accessed July 23, 2025
View SourceSRL123 Inhibition of Wheat by Sorghum Residue Under Several ..., accessed July 23, 2025
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Surface cover and thickness of straw layer according to the increased... - ResearchGate, accessed July 23, 2025
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