Christine Jones published an article in the Australian Farm Journal that may help to explain why the assumption is widespread among agricultural scientists that soil carbon cannot be increased quickly. The Roth C model, for example, ignores the role of mycorrhizal soluble carbon, focusing entirely on biomass input for humification.

http://www.farmonline.com.au/farmmags/australianfarmjournal/article.aspx...

A fascinating and detailed paper by Henry Janzen of the Lethbridge research station in Alberta. Early researchers noted a loss of organic matter and nitrogen availability upon cultivation.

"Now, as a new century begins, may be a good time to reflect on the future of Soil Science on the Canadian prairies. One way to do that is to step back about one hundred years, to the turn of the previous century when our grassland soils were first cultivated. What questions perplexed scientists then? And how did they look for answers? My objective is to listen for our forebears’ thoughts in their writings, now largely buried. From this historical vantage may emerge insights, not only into where our science has been, but also into where it might yet go."

Download PDF here, about 80K. Right click and choose save target (link) as . . .

Australia is currently the world leader in the recognition of the soil carbon opportunity, and the development of carbon markets that include soil carbon.

Amazing Carbon is Christine Jones's site with lots of good papers and presentations. A good place to start is this 4-page pdf file.

Jeff Baldock's slideshow on soil carbon accounting and measurement

Some of Michael Kiely's blog sites:

http://carboncoalitionoz.blogspot.com

http://soilcarbon101.blogspot.com

http://soilcarbonmyths.blogspot.com good article rebutting common myths about how soil carbon is too variable, too difficult to measure, unimportant, etc.