New project ready to dig deeper into microbiome research

Agriculture Victoria has launched an an expression of interest campaign encouraging farmers to donate soil samples to a National Soil Action Plan-funded research project.

Funded by the Australian and Victorian governments, the ‘Soil biodiversity across landscapes’ project is seeking to implement priority actions from the plan under the National Soil Strategy.

Agriculture Victoria Research (AVR) principal scientist Tim Sawbridge said he hopes to attract interest from at least 50 farmers statewide.

‘We are looking at what microbiomes exist in soil and how they function across natural and farmed environments,’ Dr Sawbridge said.

‘A soil microbiome is a community of microbes, bacteria, invertebrates and other life forms that live within soil.

‘To gain a deep understanding of their role in soil health, we’re wanting a broad range of samples from various production zones and agricultural industries in Victoria.’

AVR is working alongside the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research (ARI) on the project to collect and analyse samples of soil from across the state.

Soil samples will be taken from a single geo-location to a depth of 10 cm and 30 cm from a small area on the farm. The soil structure, chemistry, botanical information and DNA will be analysed and barcoded for comparison with other samples in the dataset.

ARI has provided over 200 samples from public land, such as state forests and parks and reserves, to AVR for analysis.

Samples are being taken at Agriculture Victoria’s SmartFarms, including over time at the existing DairySoils study at Ellinbank SmartFarm.

‘We anticipate that farmers who express interest in submitting samples to the project will have a natural curiosity about what is living within their soil,’ Dr Sawbridge said.

‘Everyone is set to gain from this project.

‘Researchers, farmers and land conservationists will learn more about the benefits of this microscopic subterranean world.

‘We may discover ways to influence the microbiome’s effect on soil productivity, nutrient uptake, soil carbon and soil capacity to recover and maintain resilience in a changing climate.’

Farmers interested in participating in the project are encouraged to email soil.microbiome@agriculture.vic.gov.au by 5 pm, Tuesday 30 September.