Lawrence DiBella

Region: Wet Tropics

Who: Lawrence DiBella

Location: Victoria

Does a mixed fallow crop increase soil biodiversity leading to improvements in soil health and a reduction in the use of inorganic nutrient inputs?

It is known that legume fallow crops can reduce soil and nutrient loss from fallow blocks when compared to a bare fallow.

It is well documented that monoculture farming systems create unhealthy soil conditions by removing specific nutrients from the soil and there becomes an increase in the number of pathogenic organisms that have a negative impact on cane yield.

It is also well documented that legumes have the potential to fix atmospheric nitrogen in there root systems and provide nitrogen for the subsequent crop.