Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-AKW-LVG-SEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

0.4 dS/m

Thresholds: Lower: 0.4, Upper: —

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.

Evidence & Context

Therefore, an $EC_{1:5}$ value of > 0.4 dS/m is proposed as the upper detrimental threshold.

Metric Definition:

Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC) measured as EC1:5, the electrical conductivity of a 1:5 soil-to-water suspension.

Benchmark Definition:

The upper detrimental threshold where soil salinity begins to negatively impact ecosystem function and pastoral productivity.

Justification:

This threshold is based on plant tolerance data standardized to ECe and converted to EC1:5, indicating significant osmotic stress and loss of ecosystem resilience.

Sources (1)

Great Western Woodlands BASE Contextual, Soil Physico-Chemical Data 2013 Government

Great Western Woodlands BASE Contextual, Soil Physico-Chemical Data 2013

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Supporting Sources (2)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Great Western Woodlands SuperSite | Climate Change Impacts - TERN Australia, accessed July 10, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

URBAN FOREST STRATEGY - Your Say South Perth, accessed July 13, 2025

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Understanding soil tests for pastures | Soil | Farm management ..., accessed May 12, 2025

Contextual Support Government

Understanding soil tests for pastures

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Context

Region Australia
Biome Arid Karstic Woodlands & Shrublands
Land Use Livestock Grazing & Pasture
Assessment Degradation Threshold
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 21 Mar 2026

Notes

Above this level, osmotic stress limits key forage species, leading to degradation and loss of ecosystem resilience.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-AKW-LVG-SEC family.