Soils are a valuable environmental asset, contributing an estimated $930 billion to the Australian economy each year.
They also play a vital role in agricultural productivity and the capture and storage of carbon, which helps to mitigate climate change.
Dr Jennifer Wood, Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, is undertaking research aimed at filling a critical gap in soil health assessment and classification methodologies.
"Currently, we do not have a standardised way to evaluate and categorise soil health," explains Dr Wood. “Without a reliable way to monitor and manage soil health over time and space, we struggle to integrate soil health considerations into our agricultural practices, especially in the face of a changing climate.”
"Addressing this gap is essential to ensuring food security, sustainable agriculture and ecosystem resilience."
Dr Wood’s research focuses on soil microbial traits – "the distinctive abilities of each microbial species" – and how they relate to soil health.
“Soil microbial communities play a pivotal role in supporting soil health by performing crucial ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling and the remediation of degraded soils.”
“My research has found that comparing soil communities using microbial traits will help fill the current knowledge gap. By identifying traits associated with soil function, we are developing a framework for classifying soil microbial community health.”
"This framework could become a tool that farmers use to manage their soil health, or a tool for industry to monitor their sustainability practices."
So, what are the next steps?
“We plan to work with farming groups, government, industry and fellow researchers to ensure our soil health classification framework is fit for purpose and can be used in real-world settings,” says Dr Wood.
