FarmTalk #25 – Managing Soil Biology – Benefits from Nutrient Efficiencies and Disease Suppression

Fact Sheet #25 – February

Gupta Vadakattu – CSIRO Entomology
David Roget – CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems

The issue
Soil biological function in southern Australian dryland cropping soils is regulated by the amount of available carbon, which is required by soil microbes for a source of energy. Australian soils are inherently low in biologically available carbon, in particular in the light textured Mallee soils. Therefore, carbon inputs have a major influence on soil biological activity. Carbon inputs may come from above and below ground crop residues and root exudates from growing plants.