The effect of sustainable management practices relative to conventional management on soil biophysical parameters will be determined by measurements of physical and biological resilience to copper, heat and physical stress, resistance to ex-situ root growth, water holding capacity, bulk density and texture.

We predict that reduced tillage and agrochemical inputs under the sustainable management treatment will have a positive effect on these soil properties and that these will beneficial knock-on effects to nutrient and carbon dynamics, plant growth, crop yield and biodiversity.