Soil Nitrogen

AUS-AMR-AGR-SON General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

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

Scoring Curve

Scoring curve unavailable

The scoring engine could not generate a curve for this benchmark context. The primary form is Point, 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.

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) concentration in topsoil (0-30 cm) layer.

Benchmark Definition:

Total soil nitrogen concentration in the 0-30 cm topsoil layer for Sandy Loam soils in the Australian Arid Mountain Ranges & Uplands biome under agricultural crop production.

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 (4)

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
Preview of Soil nitrogen—crop response calibration relationships and criteria for winter cereal crops grown in Australia - ResearchGate
Soil nitrogen—crop response calibration relationships and criteria for winter cereal crops grown in Australia - ResearchGate
Contextual Support Journal

Soil nitrogen—crop response calibration relationships and criteria for winter cereal crops grown in Australia - ResearchGate

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Arid Mountain Ranges & Uplands
  • Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
  • Assessment Not Stated
  • Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 10 Jun 2026

Notes

Represents an ambitious but achievable target for sustainable cropping in the Australian Arid Mountain Ranges & Uplands biome. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.