Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-TSW-AGR-SEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

0.15 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

Lower Critical Threshold < 0.15 dS/m indicates potential for very low nutrient retention and availability in inherently infertile, leached soils.

Metric Definition:

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

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark marks a maximum soil electrical conductivity threshold below which nutrient retention and availability are very low, indicating potential infertility in agricultural soils.

Justification:

Values below 0.15 dS/m are exceptionally low and may reflect infertility rather than good health, limiting microbial substrate and function.

Sources (2)

Soil - RegenWA GreyLiterature

Soil - RegenWA

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 (5)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

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

Contextual Support Journal

Regenerative agriculture is key to dry season preparation - Soils For Life, accessed July 23, 2025

View Source

Salinity - Murray�darling Basin Authority

Contextual Support Journal

Salinity - Murray–Darling Basin Authority

View Source

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

Contextual Support Journal

Regenerative Agriculture - NSW Department of Primary Industries

View Source

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

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

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

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 Not Stated
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Superseded
Version 1
Effective From 7 Jun 2026
Effective To 7 Jun 2026

Notes

Represents a potential constraint on ecosystem function due to nutrient deficiency in inherently infertile soils. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

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