Growing soil organic carbon in dryland agricultural systems

Abstract

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a crucial role in dryland agricultural systems, improving resilience, productivity and delivering a range of ecosystem services including carbon (C) sequestration and broader ecosystem health. Although the net primary production (NPP) is the principal source of C inputs to soil, plant-microbe interactions can help increase NPP and stimulate plant C inputs to the soil through a variety of mechanisms. Additionally, the soil microbial community plays a crucial role in the loss (CO2 respiration) and stabilisation of SOC. With improved understanding of soil microbiomes and plant-microbe interactions, there are new emerging strategies in which microorganisms may be harnessed either directly or indirectly to increase the amount of C added and stabilised in dryland soils.