Litter Cover — Benchmark Detail

Benchmark Value

70 %

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.

Evidence & Context

Therefore, a single reference value of >70% is proposed as the benchmark for the best available condition.

Metric Definition:

Litter Cover (%) defined as the proportion of soil covered by natural plant litter during the fallow period in agricultural crop production in Australian Arid Shrublands & Stony Plains.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents the minimum desirable litter cover percentage in arid shrublands agricultural cropping systems to maintain high environmental health and system stability, with an optimal range up to 90% before agronomic constraints arise.

Justification:

This benchmark is derived by triangulating between established ecological principles and agronomic constraints documented in multiple authoritative sources, providing a robust safety margin above the critical lower threshold and aligning with levels where soil and water protection are maximized while remaining below the point where excessive stubble loads cause management issues.

Sources (14)

A review of the economics of regenerative agriculture in Western Australia - DPIRD's Digital library, accessed August 4, 2025 Journal

A review of the economics of regenerative agriculture in Western Australia - DPIRD's Digital library

View Source

Assessing groundcover | MBFP | More Beef from Pastures - MLA, accessed August 10, 2025,

Revegetation - International Erosion Control Association

View Source

Preview of Australia's State of the Forests Report, accessed July 12, 2025,

Australia's State of the Forests Report, accessed July 12, 2025, Journal

IN PRAISE OF GROUNDCOVER - Australian Rangeland Society -

View Source

Preview of Maintaining groundcover to reduce erosion and sustain production - NSW Department of Primary Industries, accessed July 22, 2025,

Maintaining groundcover to reduce erosion and sustain production - NSW Department of Primary Industries, accessed July 22, 2025, Journal

Lang, D. (1979). Groundcover for pastures. Journal of Soil Conservation NSW.

View Source

Manage ground cover | EverGraze More livestock from perennials, accessed August 10, 2025,

Maintain and improve groundcover - Local Land Services

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Mixed Cover Crops for Sustainable Farming - CSIRO Research Government

Mixed Cover Crops for Sustainable Farming - CSIRO Research

View Source

Monitoring groundcover and soil degradation | Erosion | Soil | Farm ... Government

Monitoring groundcover and soil degradation | Erosion | Soil | Farm ...

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

Monitoring groundcover and soil degradation | Erosion - Agriculture Victoria

View Source

Preview of Regenerative Agriculture—A Literature Review on the Practices and Mechanisms Used to Improve Soil Health - MDPI, accessed August 5, 2025,

Regenerative Agriculture—A Literature Review on the Practices and Mechanisms Used to Improve Soil Health - MDPI, accessed August 5, 2025, Journal

Regenerative Agriculture—A Literature Review on the Practices and Mechanisms Used to Improve Soil Health - MDPI, accessed July 20, 2025,

View Source

Preview of Seed row placement relative to the previous crop stubble row can harness systems benefits on water repellent sands - CSIRO Publishing

Seed row placement relative to the previous crop stubble row can harness systems benefits on water repellent sands - CSIRO Publishing Journal

Seed row placement relative to the previous crop stubble row can harness systems benefits on water repellent sands - CSIRO Publishing

View Source

Strategic summer stubble management protects future profitability GreyLiterature

Strategic summer stubble management protects future profitability

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Stubble Retention in Cropping Systems - Gulbali Institute - Charles Sturt University Journal

Stubble Retention in Cropping Systems - Gulbali Institute - Charles Sturt University

View Source

The effect of plant litter on ecosystem properties in a Mediterranean semi‐arid shrubland Government

The effect of plant litter on ecosystem properties in a Mediterranean semi‐arid shrubland

View Source

Preview of WESTERN REGION - GRDC, accessed July 8, 2025,

WESTERN REGION - GRDC, accessed July 8, 2025, Government

Managing stubble | General agronomy | Crop production | Grains ...

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Arid Shrublands & Stony Plains
Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
Assessment Conservation Target
Evidence Type TargetCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 8 Jun 2026

Notes

No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation. The optimal range 70-90% represents a state of high functional integrity where erosion risks are minimized and ecological benefits maximized before agronomic constraints arise.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-ASP-AGR-LIT family.