Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-AKW-LVG-SEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Range: 0.05 to 0.4 dS/m

Optimal Range: 0.05 to 0.4

Direction: Lower is desirable ↓

Form: OptimalRange

Scoring Curve

This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context.

Evidence & Context

The optimal range for Soil Electrical Conductivity in Arid Karstic Woodlands & Shrublands under sustainable grazing is 0.05 - 0.4 dS/m (measured as EC1:5).

Metric Definition:

Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC) measured as EC1:5 soil-water suspension

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark defines the optimal soil electrical conductivity range that supports resilient pastoral systems in the Arid Karstic Woodlands & Shrublands biome under sustainable grazing.

Justification:

Defined by combining the natural baseline floor with the upper detrimental threshold based on field data and plant tolerance thresholds.

Sources (1)

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

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

View Source

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 Government

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

View Source

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

Contextual Support Government

Agriculture Victoria. (2025). Understanding soil tests for pastures. Farm Management.

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Arid Karstic Woodlands & Shrublands
Land Use Livestock Grazing & Pasture
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type HealthyOperationalRange

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 7 Jun 2026

Notes

Soils within this range are considered healthy and stable, supporting salt-tolerant perennial pasture species. Management should aim to maintain EC in the lower portion of this range. No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always worse beyond this point. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

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