Soil Carbon Capture

Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Carbon is sequestered in soil by plants through photosynthesis and stored as soil organic carbon with the assistance of soil microbiology (UC Davis, 2019).

There are a number of government incentives for farmers to carbon baseline their property, with the intent of anticipating future carbon captured and the generation of carbon credits, with much of the focus on planting of tree bands. However rotational grazing and pasture development is one of the few agricultural practices that can enhance the sequestration process, with far more benefits to overall production than just carbon credits. Enhanced pastoral systems sequester carbon in the soil that, unlike trees, remains when grazed, burned or in drought (UC Davis, 2019). With minor adjustments to management practices and inputs, livestock and mixed cropping farmers can realise yield and plant resilience benefits from enhancing soil organic carbon and biological activity.

While primary production is a major determinant in the sequestration of carbon in soils, it is the size and activity of the microbial biomass of the soil that regulates carbon accumulation (Zhu & Miller, 2003). Mycorrhizal fungi enhance carbon sequestration by translocating C away from the high respiratory activity around the root and into the soil matrix (Wilson et al, 2009). Glomalin, a glycoprotein produced by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, is known to improve aggregate stabilization, water infiltration, and carbon & nitrogen storage (Halvorson et al. 2018).

Mycorrhizal fungi are vital in assisting nutrient uptake, resistance to abiotic (salinity, drought) and biotic stresses (root pathogens). Mycorrhizal fungi have come to be viewed not only as plant symbionts, but as essential to both plant and soil, serving as the critical link in the plant – soil continuum (Wilson et al, 2009).

Grow Safe® microbial products contain three strains of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and independent trials, such as one in Pindar, identified a 204% increase to colonisation, compared to standard practice, with the addition of Grow Safe® minerals & microbes.