Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-TGP-AGR-SEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

2 dS/m
Thresholds: Lower: 0.2, Upper: 2
Direction: Lower 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 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

Therefore, the upper detrimental threshold from an ecological standpoint is reached when ECₑ > 2.0 dS/m.

Metric Definition:

Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC) measured as ECₑ in saturated paste extract.

Benchmark Definition:

Upper detrimental threshold for soil EC indicating onset of salinity stress impairing sensitive microbial processes.

Justification:

This threshold marks the point beyond which negative impacts on sensitive plant species and critical soil microbial functions occur.

Sources (1)

Preview of Soil electrical conductivity (EC) is a measure of the amount ... - USDA
Soil electrical conductivity (EC) is a measure of the amount ... - USDA Journal

Effect of Soil Water on Apparent Soil Electrical Conductivity and Texture Relationships in a Dryland Field - USDA ARS, accessed July 30, 2025

View Source

Supporting Sources (1)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Understanding soil tests for pastures | Soil | Farm management ..., accessed May 12, 2025
Understanding soil tests for pastures | Soil | Farm management ..., accessed May 12, 2025
Direct Evidence Government

What are the optimum nutrient targets for pastures?

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Temperate Grassy Woodlands & Plains
  • Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
  • Assessment Pristine Reference
  • Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 21 Mar 2026

Notes

This threshold is lower than crop yield loss thresholds, indicating ecological sensitivity. ConsistencyResolver applied 2026-03-23 00:16 UTC: UpperThreshold 2 → 0.2 (check: MinAboveMax, rationale: Swapping values to correct form assignments: 0.2 is the reference point (MinimumOnly), so UpperThreshold on ID=1461 is updated to 0.2.) ConsistencyResolver applied 2026-03-24 19:54 UTC: LowerThreshold → 2 (check: MinEqualsMax, rationale: The Notes and EvidenceStatement indicate 2.0 dS/m is the lower threshold (floor) for EC degradation, so setting LowerThreshold=2 on the MinimumOnly benchmark aligns with ecological meaning and resolves the zero-width range.) RangeFixup applied 2026-03-24 20:23 UTC: LowerThreshold: 2 → 0.2; UpperThreshold: 0.2 → 2

Related Benchmarks

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

— dS/m Moderate
Agricultural Crop Production · Pristine Reference
MaximumOnly Active v1