Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-ASP-AGR-SEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Range: 0.2 to 2 dS/m

Optimal Range: 0.2 to 2

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: OptimalRange

Scoring Curve

This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context. The scoring engine uses 24 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 23 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

OptimalRange Primary MaximumOnly Guard MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard Point Guard LowerThreshold Guard UpperThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard MaximumOnly Guard LowerThreshold Guard UpperThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard MinimumOnly Guard Point Guard MaximumOnly Guard MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard

Evidence & Context

Optimal Range: 0.2−2.0 dS/m (ECe) Within this range, the soil contains sufficient soluble nutrients to support a healthy and active ecosystem without inducing the detrimental effects of salinity.

Metric Definition:

Optimal functional range of soil EC for sustainable crop production

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark defines the optimal soil electrical conductivity range supporting healthy ecosystem function without salinity stress in arid Australian cropping systems.

Justification:

Defined by combining lower and upper thresholds to represent sustainable cropping conditions.

Sources (1)

Synthesis of data from Soilquality.org.au and established salinity thresholds (ANZECC & ARMCANZ, 2000) GreyLiterature

Synthesis of data from Soilquality.org.au and established salinity thresholds (ANZECC & ARMCANZ, 2000)

View Source

Supporting Sources (1)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Salt tolerance of crops - Wikipedia

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Salt tolerance of crops - Wikipedia

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Arid Shrublands & Stony Plains
Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type HealthyOperationalRange

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 21 Mar 2026

Notes

The benchmark of <1.0 dS/m lies comfortably within this optimal range, indicating a resilient system.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-ASP-AGR-SEC family.