Soil carbon can be significantly increased by retaining crop stubble after harvest; however adoption is constrained by difficulties of sowing into subsequent crops, with up to 50 percent of farmers’ still burning stubble across south eastern Australia.
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Research by Graham Centre member and CSIRO researcher Dr Clive Kirkby shows that stubble incorporated with added nutrients increases carbon sequestration by 3-10 times in the top 30 centimetres of soil.
“The broader practical application of stubble management techniques into farming systems must be profitable for land managers. The effectiveness and benefit and costs of techniques will identify the optimal combination on-ground at the regional level,” explained Graham Centre Director Professor Lemerle.
A Stubble Technical Forum is being held at Corowa on Wednesday 5 March, 2014, as part of the Graham Centre’s stubble project, ‘Enabling landholders to adopt profitable and sustainable carbon cropping practices’. The project explores the relationships between different stubble levels and nutrient amendments practices, from burnt to fully incorporated, with nutrients and soil carbon.
“The forum is being held in conjunction with Riverine Plains and provides a platform for growers, researchers and industry experts to engage and network, building knowledge and understanding about the use of stubble for carbon sequestration,” Professor Lemerle said.
Dr Pauline Mele and Dr Lori Phillips, Victorian Department of Environment and Primary Industries, will deliver the keynote address looking at soil biology and its relationship to carbon.
“One of the biggest issues/hot topics farmers face is around the conversion of stubble into nitrogen available for plant growth (i.e. nitrification and denitrification),” Professor Lemerle said.
“Dr Mele and Dr Philllips will discuss the process of nitrification and denitrification; microbes involved in the breakdown process; do our soils contain the appropriate mix of microbes; and the ‘materials’ required by the microbes for the breakdown process (i.e. food sources for microbes and nitrogen supply).”
“They will also address questions including; What if you have all the nutrients but no water or water and no nutrients; and how common it is to have all three components (ie. nutrients, water and microbes),” Professor Lemerle said.
This project is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture as part of its Action on the Ground program.
The project covers the high rainfall zone in southern and central NSW and the Victorian dryland and irrigated areas, but is also relevant to other areas across Australia.
Project partners include Central West Farming Systems, FarmLink Research Limited, Holbrook Landcare Network, Rice Research Australia Pty Ltd, Rural Management Strategies Pty Ltd, Southern Farming Systems, the Murrumbidgee and Murray Local Land Services, and Murrumbidgee Landcare.
The Stubble Technical Forum will be held on 5 March, 2014, 9.00am-2pm, at the Corowa RSL Club, Corowa, NSW. Morning tea and lunch will be provided. To RSVP please email grahamcentre@csu.edu.au or call 02 6933 4400.
