B.PAS.2300 - Biocrusts the living skin of rangelands
Biocrusts form a living skin on rangeland soils that input nitrogen and carbon during the wet season to support resilient pasture growth.
| Project start date: | 01 June 2023 |
| Project end date: | 21 February 2024 |
| Publication date: | 16 May 2024 |
| Project status: | Completed |
| Livestock species: | Grass-fed Cattle |
| Relevant regions: | Northern Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory |
Summary
Biocrusts form a ‘living skin’ on rangeland soils. Tiny bacteria, fungi and many other organisms glue together the top centimetre of soil, to minimise soil erosion and the loss of the all-important topsoil that has much of the fertility for pasture growth.
Biocrusts are green during the wet season and during that time they work like plants: biocrusts photosynthesise and generate bioavailable nitrogen, just like legumes do. This means carbon and nitrogen can enter soil, nourishing pasture and replenishing organic matter and carbon stocks. At least a quarter of pasture-available nitrogen is generated by well-looked after biocrusts in every wet season, providing a free top dressing of fertiliser for pasture growth.
Following drought or flood, biocrusts are the first responders that enable pastures to bounce back, important in our variable climate. Degraded land that has lost the biocrust cover is left prone to water and wind erosion, making it harder to achieve production and delivering for sustainability goals.
The video shows how to find biocrusts on your property and why they are essential for healthy soils. It gives clues for management tools that producers can use immediately to restore and protect natural capital by promoting biocrusts. More research is in the planning to help producers recover after natural disaster with intervention to reapply biocrust in severely degraded areas.
Objectives
Produce a high-quality video of 6-7 minutes targeting red meat producers and advisors to explain the role and importance of biocrusts in sustainable livestock production in rangelands systems.
The provider will work in collaboration with University of Queensland and NT-DITT.
Key findings
Key findings of the research will be contained in the Final Report of the research project B.PAS.0502 "Boosting natural regeneration of nitrogen capital in grazing lands.
The video has been developed to communicate key findings and messages from the research.
Biocrusts are the living skin of the earth and an essential component of healthy ecosystems, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. However, many producers in the northern rangelands are unaware of their existence and the important role they play in sustaining livestock production, maintaining land condition and building natural capital. They play a crucial role in soil stability, water retention and nutrient cycling.
Benefits to industry
1. Video illustrates the importance of well managed biocrusts for landscape health and how grazing and fire management affect their ability to function. It shows examples of well managed and degraded biocrusts.
2. Capture producer's case study and ways producers can monitor biocrust health on their property and derive productivity and profitability benefits.
MLA action
MLA has given in principle support for an AQIP grant application to trial restoration of degraded land using mass reared biocrust inoculum.
Future research
More research is in the planning to help producers recover after natural disaster with intervention to reapply biocrust in severely degraded areas.
More information
| Project manager: | FD Felice Driver |
| Contact email: | reports@mla.com.au |
