Science Says Ep 1 Building soil organic carbon in dryland agriculture – WA (Video)
In this Carbon Sync video, Kirsten Ball outlines the findings of a 2025 CSIRO research paper, The pros and cons of increasing soil organic matter in dryland cropping systems (authors: C Janke, J Kirkegaard, J Hunt, L Barton, L Bell, S Karunaratne, L Macdonald, C Pasut, U Stockmann, E Tavakkoli, G Vadakattu, A Wasson and M Farrell). This paper reviews soil carbon management in Australian dryland agriculture. Kirsten illustrates how soil carbon levels are shaped by inputs, losses and microbial processes, which can be constrained by low fertility and uneven moisture. Erosion and leaching, particularly on sandy soils, also reduces carbon stocks. Practices to increase inputs include crop choice, rotational design and cropping intensity. Losses are reduced by strategies such as stubble management, harvest methods and livestock cycling which need to be matched to soil type, rainfall and enterprise goals. Long-term storage depends on stabilising subsoil carbon, preventing erosion and leaching, and supporting soil biology. The video closes with a summary of the advantages and limitations of building soil organic matter [11:00].#
This is a carefully curated database of important soil resources. The data base is not exhaustive but rather a library of the resources we believe are the most useful for the audience. Each resource has been added after careful consideration against our selection criteria, including but not limited to its scientific validity, accessibility, and readability. The library generally does not include most academic research papers but may include some open-source papers written in accessible English.
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