An Approach for Assessing Soil Organic Carbon Uplift Across Different Land Types

The aim of this study was to assess potential uplift in soil organic carbon (SOC) levels within different types of agricultural land. A total of 1,032 soil samples were collected from 43 fields across six farms during the same year. Fields were used for arable, temporary grass and permanent grass production. The study compared SOC levels (in g/kg, ratio to clay and ratio to nitrogen) between the field boundary and within field areas. The field boundary was classed as either open (boundary with fence and/or wall) or covered (with hedgerow and/or trees). From the fields sampled, 69% of within field samples and 88% of boundary samples were categorized as having ‘very good’ levels of SOC. On average, the SOC in g/kg and ratio to clay were higher for permanent grass and boundary field areas compared to temporary and within field areas, with no difference between open or covered boundary areas. Benchmarking fields against the field boundary area or based on SOC to clay ratio can be used by land managers to identify fields for potential SOC uplift.