Farmers leading and learning about the soil carbon frontier (EPARF)

The DAFF and GRDC funded national trial will examine existing, new and alternative strategies for farmers in the cereal sheep zone to increase soil carbon. The trial will be used as baseline data for carbon accumulation in soils and to: discuss the various forms of soil organic carbon (plant residues, particulate, humus and resistant fractions), investigate how management affects each of these pools and how humus can be increased over the medium to long term, communicate how soil organic matter affects soil productivity (through nutrient and water supply, and improvements in soils structure). Identical trials are being run by eight farm groups in SE Australia (Victoria: Mallee Sustainable Farming, Birchip Cropping Group, Southern Farming Systems; NSW: FarmLink, Central West Farming Systems; SA: Hart and Eyre Peninsula Agricultural Research Foundation, both through Ag Ex Alliance; and Tasmania: Southern Farming Systems) so information can be collected on different soils and climates in the Southern Region.

由DAFF与GRDC资助的全国性田间试验，将针对谷物-绵羊养殖区的农户，评估提升土壤碳储量的现有、新型及替代策略。该试验将作为土壤碳积累的基准数据，用于开展以下工作：探讨各类土壤有机碳（soil organic carbon）组分（包括植物残体、颗粒态碳、腐殖质与难降解组分）；研究田间管理措施如何影响各碳库，以及中长期尺度下如何提升腐殖质含量；阐明土壤有机质如何通过养分与水分供给、土壤结构改良等途径影响土壤生产力。澳大利亚东南部共计8个农场群体同步开展同款试验：维多利亚州分别为马利可持续农业协会（Mallee Sustainable Farming）、伯奇普种植集团（Birchip Cropping Group）与南部农业系统协会（Southern Farming Systems）；新南威尔士州为FarmLink与中西部农业系统协会（Central West Farming Systems）；南澳大利亚州为哈特与艾尔半岛农业研究基金会（Hart and Eyre Peninsula Agricultural Research Foundation，两项试验均通过Ag Ex Alliance推进）；塔斯马尼亚州为南部农业系统协会（Southern Farming Systems）。借此可收集澳大利亚南部区域不同土壤与气候条件下的相关试验数据。