Student
INTRODUCTION
Electrical conductivity (EC) is a measurement of the dissolved material in an aqueous solution, which relates to the ability of the material to conduct electrical current through it. The higher the dissolved material in a water or soil sample, the higher the EC will be in that material.( Monica Z. Bruckner, Montana State University, Bozeman)
Electrical conductivity (EC) which is the ability of a material to transmit (conduct) an electrical current is commonly expressed in units of milliSiemens per meter (mS/m). Soil EC measurements may also be reported in units of deciSiemens per meter (dS/m), which is equal to the reading in mS/m divided by 100.
Therefore Soil electrical conductivity (EC) is a property of soil that is determined by standardized measures of soil conductance (resistance-1) by the distance and cross sectional area through which a current travels. Traditionally, soil paste EC has been used to assess soil salinity (Rhoades et al., 1989), but now commercial devices are available to rapidly and economically measure and map bulk soil EC across agricultural fields. The Veris® 3100 (Veris Technologies, Salina, Kansas) measures EC with a system of coulters that are in direct contact with the soil. The EM38 (Geonics, Limited, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) induces a current into the soil with one coil and determines conductivity by measuring the resulting secondary current with another coil. Both sensors have been demonstrated to give similar results (Suddeth et al., 1999) The movement of electrons through bulk soil is complex. Electrons may travel through soil water in macropores, along the surfaces of soil minerals (i.e. exchangeable ions), and through alternating layers of particles and solution (Rhoades et al., 1989).
Therefore, multiple factors contribute to soil EC variability, including factors that affect the amount and connectivity of soil water (e.g. bulk density, structure, water potential, precipitation, timing of
Electrical conductivity (EC) is a measurement of the dissolved material in an aqueous solution, which relates to the ability of the material to conduct electrical current through it. The higher the dissolved material in a water or soil sample, the higher the EC will be in that material.( Monica Z. Bruckner, Montana State University, Bozeman)
Electrical conductivity (EC) which is the ability of a material to transmit (conduct) an electrical current is commonly expressed in units of milliSiemens per meter (mS/m). Soil EC measurements may also be reported in units of deciSiemens per meter (dS/m), which is equal to the reading in mS/m divided by 100.
Therefore Soil electrical conductivity (EC) is a property of soil that is determined by standardized measures of soil conductance (resistance-1) by the distance and cross sectional area through which a current travels. Traditionally, soil paste EC has been used to assess soil salinity (Rhoades et al., 1989), but now commercial devices are available to rapidly and economically measure and map bulk soil EC across agricultural fields. The Veris® 3100 (Veris Technologies, Salina, Kansas) measures EC with a system of coulters that are in direct contact with the soil. The EM38 (Geonics, Limited, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) induces a current into the soil with one coil and determines conductivity by measuring the resulting secondary current with another coil. Both sensors have been demonstrated to give similar results (Suddeth et al., 1999) The movement of electrons through bulk soil is complex. Electrons may travel through soil water in macropores, along the surfaces of soil minerals (i.e. exchangeable ions), and through alternating layers of particles and solution (Rhoades et al., 1989).
Therefore, multiple factors contribute to soil EC variability, including factors that affect the amount and connectivity of soil water (e.g. bulk density, structure, water potential, precipitation, timing of