Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-TSR-AGR-SEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

0.6 dS/m

Direction: Lower 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 17 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 16 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

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

Evidence & Context

An upper detrimental threshold is identified at > 0.6 dS/m, where salinity stress impacts sensitive crops like avocado, based on Queensland Government guidelines.

Metric Definition:

Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC) measured as Electrical Conductivity of the Saturated Paste Extract (ECe) in dS/m.

Benchmark Definition:

Upper detrimental threshold for Soil EC indicating onset of salinity stress harmful to sensitive crops.

Justification:

Based on crop physiology and Queensland Government guidelines for avocado production.

Sources (1)

Growing avocados | Business Queensland, accessed July 16, 2025, Government

Growing avocados | Business Queensland

View Source

Supporting Sources (2)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Soil health for vegetable production in Australia - Department of Primary Industries, Queensland, accessed July 18, 2025,

Direct Evidence Journal

Understanding soil tests for pastures | Soil | Farm management ..., accessed July 18, 2025,

View Source

Supersites get the measure of ecosystems | TERN Australia, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Supersites get the measure of ecosystems | TERN Australia

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Tropical & Subtropical Rainforests
Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 7 Jun 2026

Notes

Levels consistently above this threshold signify a degraded state, likely resulting from excessive fertilizer application, poor quality irrigation water, or inadequate drainage. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

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