FarmTalk #18 – Benefits of Managing your Microbes in the SA Mallee Region

Fact Sheet #18 – January 2006

Peter Treloar (MSF, Rural Solutions SA), Tom McInerney (Rural Solutions SA) & Dr Gupta Vadakattu (CSIRO)

The Issue
Increasing the cropping intensity and reducing tillage helps to encourage microbial activity in Mallee soils. An increase in microbial activity can lead to real economic advantages through increased fertility, improved soil structure, reduced leaching and improved disease suppression.
Microbial populations in the Mallee are crying out for carbon. By growing more crops and retaining as much stubble as possible we can maximise the amount of carbon returned to the soil, leading to an increase in microbial functions.