Soil Health

Soil Organics and Biota

What’s Hiding in the Ground

Soil contains a huge number and diversity of organisms. Microbes contribute to soil structure, recycle essential nutrients and fungi even helps plants obtain nutrients.

Functions of Soil Organic Matter and the Effect on Soil Properties

While agriculture is the area most concerned with key functions and critical levels of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) forestry and grazing as well as groundwater contamination and C sequestration are areas where knowledge about the functions of SOC is vital.

Organic Carbon

Organic carbon influences many soil characteristics including colour, nutrient holding capacity, nutrient turnover and stability, which in turn influence water relations, aeration and workability.

Soil health soil carbon

Soil health encompasses the three aspects of soil fertility; physical, chemical and biological. The decline in soil fertility in northern Australia is a serious land degradation issue. A major factor causing a decline in soil fertility is the decreasing soil organic carbon (SOC) levels in many areas.

Labile carbon

Although significant amounts of organic carbon are present in soils, some of this is relatively inert. Soil organic matter is made up of different pools which vary in their turnover time or rate of decomposition.

Improving Soil Health

Soil texture
Texture is an estimate of the amounts of sand, silt and clay in a soil. Find out why you need to know the texture of your soils and how to determine the texture of your soil.

Pasture Varieties used in NSW
This guide provides information on species and varieties/brands of pasture grasses, legumes and some herbs used in pastures.

Water ponding
A Case Study of Water ponding to manage scalded land. What is the problem? What can be done to rehabilitate these areas?

Chloride toxicity
What is chloride toxicity? Effects and management, what can be done to rehabilitate these areas?

Soil Types in the Namoi

A description of a selection of soil types in the Namoi catchment.  Identify horizons, geology, qualities and limitions of these soils.

Vertosols

Kurosols

Calcarasol

Brown Chromosol

Soil Classification.
Australia has a great diversity of soils. Most are ancient, strongly weathered and infertile. Others are younger and more fertile. This variety, combined with the natural limitations of many soils, has made it difficult to develop sustainable land management practices.