Microbial Management Systems

Building microbial communities

Recent projects

Soil, organic matter and water monitoring

Programs have been undertaken to monitor microorganisms and microbial community activities in soils, organic matter and water samples. These have included monitoring the effects of rotational grazing management on microbes in perennial native grassland soils, the effects of compost additions to grazing pasture soils, and the unnatural microbial communities of golf greens. We have also examined the microbiota of composts and other agricultural products containing microorganisms to test their suitability for purpose.

Our clients have included:

Download a fact sheet on what sort of microorganisms and how many should be in a healthy soil.

Mining rehabilitation monitoring

Prior to mine closure, companies need to demonstrate that they have rehabilitated the site to meet a number of predetermined criteria, with the aim being to return disturbed land to a stable, productive and self-sustaining condition, and taking future land use into account. Microorganisms play an essential role in this soil rehabilitation. Programs have been undertaken to monitor the effects on soil microbial communities of soil disturbance, storage and replacement, the time required to develop stable soil communities on rehabilitating sites, biological soil crust development on rehabilitating arid soils, and the effectiveness of soil amendments on the establishment of microbial communities on degraded soils.

Our clients have included:

We have published an open article on Improving Mine Rehabilitation Success Through Microbial Management in the online Journal of Environmental Solutions for Oil, Gas, and Mining.

Fungus surveys

Macrofungal fruiting body monitoring provides information concerning environmental health, as native fungi build organic matter, sustain soil nutrient cycling processes, improve soil fertility and promote plant growth through mycorrhizal associations, and their fruiting bodies can be an important source of food for native animals. Sporocarp production is a sensitive indicator of early changes in habitat and environment and sporocarp surveys represent an important link between animal and plant surveys. Monitoring programs targeting indicator fungi have been a cost-effective way to do this work.

Our clients have included:

Waste bioconversion

Organic wastes are generated through the activities of the agricultural, forest and food processing industries. Appropriate bioremediation can convert these wastes into valuable economic and environmental resources. Projects have been undertaken to identify suitable bioremediation agents for several waste streams and which have resulted in products of economic and environmental benefit.

Our clients have included: