Fungal inoculants for carbon sequestration and stabilisation

Carbon-stabilising fungi offer a new biological pathway to increase the quantity and durability of soil organic matter (SOM) in cropping systems. Loam Bio’s microbial inoculants were developed from native fungal isolates and have been evaluated through controlled experiments, academic collaborations, and multi-year on-farm trials in diverse soil types across Australia, USA and Brazil. Greenhouse and field studies with Loam’s strains have shown that fungal inoculants can increase grain yield while shifting soil carbon into more stable fractions, including aggregate occluded and mineral-associated organic matter. These results suggest that plant-fungal interactions can accelerate the formation of protected SOM pools that underpin long-term carbon storage and nutrient retention.

We first present observed changes in SOM fractions from peer-reviewed studies (Stuart et al., 2024; Singh et al., 2025), including increases of over 3 tCO2e/ha, with increases in aggregate carbon, mineral-associated organic carbon, and reduced labile and respired carbon. We then explore links between stabilised carbon fractions and soil fertility, focusing on how shifts toward aggregate and mineral-associated pools relate to protection of soil nitrogen stocks from loss, improved soil physical structure, water infiltration and plant-available water, thereby reinforcing SOM as a foundation for agronomic resilience. Finally, we synthesise multiyear farm-scale field trials to illustrate these responses in real world contexts.

By integrating experimental and farm-scale evidence, this work positions fungal endophytes as a practical tool for enhancing stable soil carbon in cropping systems, while clarifying how stabilised SOM underpins nutrient cycling, soil function, and long-term agricultural productivity.