Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-TSW-AGR-SEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

0.15 dS/m

Thresholds: Lower: —, Upper: 4

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: MaximumOnly

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

Lower Critical Threshold < 0.15 All, especially sandy textures Indicates potential for very low nutrient retention and availability in inherently infertile, leached soils. May limit microbial substrate and function.

Metric Definition:

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

Benchmark Definition:

This threshold corresponds to the upper limit of the 'nil' salinity category for sandy soils, indicating values below this may reflect infertility rather than good health.

Justification:

Indicates potential for very low nutrient retention and availability in inherently infertile, leached soils. May limit microbial substrate and function.

Sources (2)

Preview of Regenerative agriculture in Australia: the changing face of farming - Frontiers, accessed August 4, 2025

Regenerative agriculture in Australia: the changing face of farming - Frontiers, accessed August 4, 2025 Journal

NCC: Regenerative Agriculture and Soil Health - Wet Tropics Plan, accessed July 27, 2025,

View Source

Soil Health Assessment - Natural Resources Conservation Service - USDA, accessed August 5, 2025, Government

Soil Health Assessment - Natural Resources Conservation Service - USDA

View Source

Supporting Sources (3)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

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

Contextual Support 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

Stream-salinity-status-and-trends-in-south-west-WA.pdf - Government of Western Australia, accessed July 10, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Salinity in Australia - Wikipedia

View Source

Preview of Which material can be used to reduce electrical conductivity of soil? And what are the disadvantages when electrical conductivity of soil increases ? | ResearchGate, accessed July 9, 2025,

Which material can be used to reduce electrical conductivity of soil? And what are the disadvantages when electrical conductivity of soil increases ? | ResearchGate, accessed July 9, 2025,

Direct Evidence GreyLiterature

UNDERSTANDING YOUR STEP BY STEP Cath Botta - Goulburn ...

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Temperate Semi-Arid Shrublands & Open Woodlands
Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 2
Effective From 21 Mar 2026

Notes

This threshold corresponds to the upper limit of the 'nil' salinity category for sandy soils in the RegenWA guide, suggesting values below this are exceptionally low and may reflect infertility rather than good health. ConsistencyResolver applied 2026-03-23 00:14 UTC: UpperThreshold 0.15 → 4 (check: MinAboveMax, rationale: Swapping threshold values to correct form assignments. The Notes for ID=1463 indicate a lower degradation floor at 0.15 dS/m, so this value belongs to the MinimumOnly form. Setting UpperThreshold to 4.0 here aligns with the upper degradation ceiling described in ID=1466's Notes.)

Related Benchmarks

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