Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-TMI-AGR-SEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

1.7 dS/m

Thresholds: Lower: —, Upper: 1.7

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: UpperThreshold

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

An upper detrimental threshold of < 1.7 dS/m is proposed. For the purpose of defining a benchmark for high environmental health, any EC value approaching or exceeding this level indicates a degraded state characterized by salinity stress.

Metric Definition:

Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC) as an indicator of salinity stress in soil affecting crop health.

Benchmark Definition:

Critical upper threshold of soil EC above which salinity stress negatively impacts crop growth.

Justification:

Based on documented salinity tolerance limits for sugarcane and other tropical crops in analogous agricultural regions.

Sources (1)

Characteristics of Coral Cay Soils at Coringa-Herald Coral Sea Islands - ResearchGate Journal

Characteristics of Coral Cay Soils at Coringa-Herald Coral Sea Islands - ResearchGate

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Supporting Sources (3)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Salinity and mulching in banana production - Yara Australia

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Salinity and mulching in banana production - Yara Australia

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Soil Analysis Methods and Results Interpretation ... - CSIRO Research

Direct Evidence Journal

Soil Analysis Methods and Results Interpretation ... - CSIRO Research

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To evaluate the values of electrical conductivity and growth parameters of apple saplings in nursery fields - CiteSeerX

Contextual Support

To evaluate the values of electrical conductivity and growth parameters of apple saplings in nursery fields - CiteSeerX

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Context

Region Australia
Biome Tropical & Subtropical Maritime Islands
Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 19 Mar 2026

Notes

Indicates the onset of salinity stress and ecological degradation in agricultural soils.

Related Benchmarks

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