NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has received a $246,000 climate action project grant to study the role of pastures in locking up carbon under a range of management practices in central and southern NSW.

Project team member, Albert Oates, said with the wider community becoming increasingly aware of greenhouse gases and potential climate change, it was important the positive role of pastures in sequestering carbon within the soil be better understood and measured.

“Keeping carbon in the soil as organic material reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. And increasing soil organic material improves the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil,” he said.

Mr Oates said Australian farmed soils were generally relatively low in soil organic carbon.

“It’s not easy to accumulate organic material in a hot, dry climate under continuous cropping.

“The pasture phase provides the opportunity to rebuild organic matter levels in the soil.

“Soils under permanent pasture may have the greatest potential to lock up carbon dioxide as soil organic matter.”

At this stage researchers are keen to hear from farmers who may have paddocks with a known history suitable for inclusion in the study.

“Of particular interest would be paired paddocks, which allow comparisons to be made,” Mr Oates said.

“Examples include cropped versus old perennial pasture, annual pasture versus perennial and setstocked versus rotationally grazed.

“If a farmer has a paddock likely to be of very high organic carbon status, that would also be of interest.”

Contact Albert Oates, (02) 6938 1874.