Plant-soil interactions and the effect on soil health in grazing systems

Soils provide essential ecosystem services and healthy soils are vital for animal and plant-based production systems. This thesis explored the diverse nature of soils in Australian livestock grazing systems by focusing on the impacts of agricultural intensification on soil and plant interactions. Through microcosm studies and regional scale field surveys, the effects of fertiliser enrichment and grazing frequency on soil physicochemical properties, nutrient cycling and pasture production were investigated. Thereby signifying the importance of region-specific studies for establishing a suitable range of indicators, capable of determining the health of soils and the sustainable management of livestock systems in the future.