Measuring Soil Salinity

Abstract

Soil salinity is a form of land degradation in which salts accumulate in the soil profile to an extent that plant growth or infrastructure are negatively affected. A range of both field and laboratory procedures exist for measuring soil salinity. In the field, soil salinity is usually inferred from apparent electrical conductivity (EC(a)) using a range of devices, depending on the required depth of analysis, or size of the survey area. Field measurements of EC(a) require calibration to the actual salt content by laboratory analysis. In the laboratory, soil salinity is usually assessed by determining either the total soluble salts by evaporation of a soil water extract (TSS), or by determining the electrical conductivity (EC) of either a 1:5 distilled water:soil dilution, or a saturated paste extract. Although procedures for measuring soil salinity appear relatively straightforward, differences in methodology have considerable influence on measured values and interpretation of results.

Experimental evidence that invasive grasses use allelopathic biochemicals as a potential mechanism for invasion: chemical warfare in nature

“…For each treatment, three replicate soil samples were selected for pH and soil salinity via electrical conductivity (EC) (uS/cm) analyses. Soil pH was measured with a pH meter using a solid/double-deionized (dH 2 O) water ratio of 1:3 (5 g soil added to 15 ml dH 2 O) modified from Hardie and Doyle (2012). Electrical conductivity was measured using a separate EC meter (Accument AB30; Fisher Scientific, Pittsburgh, PA).…”

Three‐dimensional imaging of subsurface structural patterns using quantitative large‐scale multiconfiguration electromagnetic induction data

“…For shallow investigations up to 6 m depth, frequency domain electromagnetic induction (EMI) instruments are more appropriate because the entire system of transmitter and receiver units can be carried in one mobile construction with fixed coil separations up to 4.0 m. Several researchers have used EMI to determine soil water content or to study hydrological processes. For example, soil water content was successfully related to bulk soil electrical conductivity by Sheets and Hendrickx [1995], soil strata were determined using EMI by Corwin and Lesch [2005] and Sudduth et al [2005], and the influence of the water content and salinity on the measured signal has been investigated by Hardie and Doyle [2012]. At a larger scale, Abdu et al [2008] inferred soil texture and water holding capacity from EMI measurements.…”

Effect of Tillage and Humidification Conditions on Desalination Facilities of Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L.)

“…Total dissoluble salts content in the soil samples was determined by using the saturation extract method [Jackson 1958, Hardie, Doyle 2012. Total dissoluble salts uptake by chickpea crops expressed in t/ha was calculated by using the formula: TDS t = TDS % × BD × SL (5) where: TDS t -total dissoluble salts uptake by chickpea crops expressed in t ha -1 , TDS % -total dissoluble salts uptake by chickpea crops expressed in percents (%),…”