Soil Nitrogen

AUS-AMR-AGR-SON General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

1400 mg/kg
Direction: Higher is desirable ↑
Form: Point

Scoring Curve

This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context.

Evidence & Context

The full report provides benchmarks for other soil textures (e.g., Sandy Loam: 1400 mg/kg; Clay Loam: 2200 mg/kg).

Metric Definition:

Total soil nitrogen (TN) in the 0-30 cm topsoil layer for Sandy Loam soil texture.

Benchmark Definition:

Total soil nitrogen concentration in mg/kg for the 0-30 cm topsoil layer in Sandy Loam soils, representing an ambitious but achievable target for sustainable cropping in this biome.

Justification:

Derived from the 90th percentile of modelled TN values from the CSIRO SLGA dataset as a proxy for best available condition due to lack of direct field data.

Sources (1)

Preview of Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia; Soil nitrogen availability in the cereal zone of South Australia. I. Soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and nitrogen mineralisation rates
Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia; Soil nitrogen availability in the cereal zone of South Australia. I. Soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and nitrogen mineralisation rates Government

Soil and Landscape Grid National Soil Attribute Maps - Total Nitrogen (3" resolution) - Release 2

View Source

Supporting Sources (3)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Critical concentrations for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur soil tests for break crops - Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC)
Critical concentrations for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur soil tests for break crops - Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC)
Contextual Support Government

Critical concentrations for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur soil tests for break crops - Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC)

View Source
Preview of Nitrogen supply and demand in Australian agriculture - ResearchGate, accessed July 25, 2025,
Nitrogen supply and demand in Australian agriculture - ResearchGate, accessed July 25, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Regenerative agriculture — the practices involved and its position within modern agricultural systems

View Source
Preview of Soil | Australia state of the environment 2021
Soil | Australia state of the environment 2021
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Soil | Australia state of the environment 2021

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Arid Mountain Ranges & Uplands
  • Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
  • Assessment Pristine Reference
  • Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 25 Mar 2026

Notes

Represents an ambitious but achievable target for sustainable cropping in the biome. Soil texture strongly influences nitrogen holding capacity, so benchmarks are stratified by texture. No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-AMR-AGR-SON family.

2200 mg/kg Moderate
Agricultural Crop Production · Pristine Reference
Point Active v1
500 mg/kg Moderate
Agricultural Crop Production · Pristine Reference
LowerThreshold Active v1
— mg/kg Moderate
Agricultural Crop Production · Pristine Reference
OptimalRange Active v1