Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-TSW-CON-SEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

0.015 dS/m

Thresholds: Lower: 0.015, Upper: —

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: MinimumOnly

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 10 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 9 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

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

Evidence & Context

A conceptual lower threshold of <0.015 dS/m (EC 1:5) is proposed. This is not a detrimental limit in the same way as the upper threshold, but rather a management trigger.

Metric Definition:

Soil electrical conductivity (EC) is a measure of the ability of the soil solution to conduct an electrical current, reported in units of deciSiemens per meter (dS/m).

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents a lower soil electrical conductivity threshold serving as a management trigger to investigate potential nutrient depletion in the temperate semi-arid shrublands and open woodlands biome.

Justification:

This threshold is based on fundamental soil science principles and serves as a management trigger to investigate soil fertility.

Sources (1)

Research on Soil Management and Conservation - MDPI Journal

Research on Soil Management and Conservation - MDPI

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Temperate Semi-Arid Shrublands & Open Woodlands
Land Use Conservation / Protected Natural Areas
Assessment Conservation Target
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 21 Mar 2026

Notes

An EC reading below this value should prompt further investigation into soil fertility.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TSW-CON-SEC family.