Litter Cover

AUS-TGP-AGR-LIT General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Range: 70 to 90 %

Optimal Range: 70 to 90

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: OptimalRange

Scoring Curve

Scoring curve unavailable

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.

Contributing Benchmarks

CompositeFramework Primary MinimumOnly Guard Point Guard OptimalRange Guard OptimalRange Guard Point Guard Point Guard

Evidence & Context

The following table presents the final benchmark recommendation in the specified format. Indicator Name Reference Value Unit Source Title Source URL or DOI Confidence Level Short Notes Litter Cover (%) 70–90 % Managing heavy stubble loads without compromising the big things (weeds, disease, pests, timeliness and profit!): a decade of stubble management and farming systems experiments High Benchmark Rationale: The 70–90% range represents the best available condition for agricultural cropping systems in this biome, moving beyond minimum erosion control to a state of high ecological function.

Metric Definition:

Percentage of soil surface covered by plant litter (post-harvest crop stubble and residues) in agricultural cropping systems.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents the optimal range of litter cover percentage in agricultural cropping systems within the Temperate Grassy Woodlands & Plains biome of Australia, indicating a high ecological function and effective erosion control.

Justification:

The 70–90% range represents the best available condition for agricultural cropping systems in this biome, moving beyond minimum erosion control to a state of high ecological function. The lower end of this range (70%) is explicitly linked in GRDC best-practice guidance to achieving robust erosion control and water infiltration from 2–3 t/ha of stubble. The lower critical threshold of <50% is based on a strong consensus across multiple state and federal agency guidelines identifying this level as a key inflection point for soil stability.

Sources (1)

Preview of Managing heavy stubble loads without compromising the “big things ..., accessed August 4, 2025,

Managing heavy stubble loads without compromising the “big things ..., accessed August 4, 2025, Journal

Managing heavy stubble loads without compromising the “big things ..., accessed August 4, 2025,

Supporting Sources (18)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of $3.5M national project to examine ways to boost soil organic matter - CSIRO

$3.5M national project to examine ways to boost soil organic matter - CSIRO

Contextual Support Government

$3.5M national project to examine ways to boost soil organic matter - CSIRO

Preview of Conservation Agriculture as a Sustainable System for Soil Health: A Review - MDPI, accessed August 4, 2025,

Conservation Agriculture as a Sustainable System for Soil Health: A Review - MDPI, accessed August 4, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Evolution of conservation agriculture in summer rainfall areas, accessed July 27, 2025

Preview of Cover crops improve ground cover in a very dry season - GRDC, accessed August 4, 2025,

Cover crops improve ground cover in a very dry season - GRDC, accessed August 4, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Cover crops improve ground cover in a very dry season - GRDC, accessed August 4, 2025,

Preview of Developments in stubble retention in cropping systems in southern Australia - Charles Sturt University, accessed August 4, 2025,

Developments in stubble retention in cropping systems in southern Australia - Charles Sturt University, accessed August 4, 2025,

Contextual Support

Research Brief AUS-AKW-AGR-BAR: Bare Ground (%) Benchmark Research for Nature Index

Preview of FarmLink Research Report 2016 - Maintaining profitable farming ..., accessed August 4, 2025,

FarmLink Research Report 2016 - Maintaining profitable farming ..., accessed August 4, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

FarmLink Research Report 2016 - Maintaining profitable farming ..., accessed August 4, 2025,

Preview of Global Application of Regenerative Agriculture: A Review of Definitions and Assessment Approaches - MDPI, accessed August 4, 2025,

Global Application of Regenerative Agriculture: A Review of Definitions and Assessment Approaches - MDPI, accessed August 4, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Global Application of Regenerative Agriculture: A Review of Definitions and Assessment Approaches - MDPI, accessed August 4, 2025,

Preview of Global Application of Regenerative Agriculture: A Review of Definitions and Assessment Approaches - MDPI, accessed July 28, 2025,

Global Application of Regenerative Agriculture: A Review of Definitions and Assessment Approaches - MDPI, accessed July 28, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Maintaining Profitable Farming Systems with Retained Stubble Across Various Rainfall Environments - Summary of GRDC Stubble Project, accessed August 4, 2025,

Preview of GRDC Groundcover Article: National blueprint to standardise soil health across Australian agriculture - The Waite, accessed August 4, 2025,

GRDC Groundcover Article: National blueprint to standardise soil health across Australian agriculture - The Waite, accessed August 4, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

GRDC Groundcover Article: National blueprint to standardise soil health across Australian agriculture - The Waite, accessed August 4, 2025,

Preview of Managing stubble | General agronomy | Crop production | Grains, pulses and cereals - Agriculture Victoria

Managing stubble | General agronomy | Crop production | Grains, pulses and cereals - Agriculture Victoria

Direct Evidence Government

Managing stubble | General agronomy | Crop production | Grains, pulses and cereals - Agriculture Victoria, accessed August 13, 2025

Preview of Monitoring groundcover and soil degradation | Erosion | Soil | Farm ..., accessed May 11, 2025

Monitoring groundcover and soil degradation | Erosion | Soil | Farm ..., accessed May 11, 2025

Direct Evidence Government

Monitoring groundcover and soil degradation | Erosion - Agriculture Victoria

Preview of NSW Department of Primary Industries, accessed August 4, 2025,

NSW Department of Primary Industries, accessed August 4, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Maintaining groundcover to reduce erosion and sustain production - NSW Department of Primary Industries, accessed August 4, 2025,

Preview of Principles of Cover Cropping for Arid and Semi-arid Farming Systems | New Mexico State University - BE BOLD. Shape the Future., accessed July 8, 2025,

Principles of Cover Cropping for Arid and Semi-arid Farming Systems | New Mexico State University - BE BOLD. Shape the Future., accessed July 8, 2025,

Direct Evidence Journal

Managing ground cover in the cropping zone of southern NSW, accessed August 4, 2025,

Preview of Regenerative Agriculture - a literature review on the practices and mechanisms used to improve soil health - DPIRD's Digital library, accessed August 5, 2025,

Regenerative Agriculture - a literature review on the practices and mechanisms used to improve soil health - DPIRD's Digital library, accessed August 5, 2025,

Contextual Support

Regenerative Agriculture Program restoring soil pH case study: Macdonald, Whites Flat/Koppio

Preview of Regenerative agriculture in Australia: the changing face of farming - Frontiers

Regenerative agriculture in Australia: the changing face of farming - Frontiers

Contextual Support Journal

Stubble Retention in Cropping Systems - Gulbali Institute - Charles Sturt University, accessed August 4, 2025,

Preview of Stubble Guidelines - AIR EP, accessed August 4, 2025,

Stubble Guidelines - AIR EP, accessed August 4, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Stubble Management Guidelines - Upper North Farming Systems, accessed August 4, 2025,

Preview of Stubble Retention in Cropping Systems in Southern Australia ..., accessed August 4, 2025,

Stubble Retention in Cropping Systems in Southern Australia ..., accessed August 4, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Impacts of retained wheat stubble on canola in southern New South Wales, accessed August 13, 2025

Preview of The effect of stubble on nitrogen tie-up and supply - GRDC, accessed July 8, 2025,

The effect of stubble on nitrogen tie-up and supply - GRDC, accessed July 8, 2025,

Contextual Support

Ground cover monitoring for Australia - DAFF, accessed August 4, 2025,

Preview of Wind erosion | Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, accessed July 23, 2025

Wind erosion | Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, accessed July 23, 2025

Contextual Support Government

Ground cover monitoring for Australia - DAFF

Context

Region Australia
Biome Temperate Grassy Woodlands & Plains
Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 6 Jun 2026

Notes

Lower Critical Threshold: A litter cover of <50% is identified as the critical threshold below which the system is at significant risk of degradation from wind and water erosion. No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are generally better up to the natural saturation point of the system, with manageable risks mitigated by best-practice regenerative strategies. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.