Take soil and distilled water in 1:2 ratio. In 10 g soil put 20 ml distilled water. Then stir it properly for 30 min (approx). Then allow the soil solution to settle. Then take the reading by separating the supernatant or dip the electrode in the supernatant. Instrument: EC meter
The value u will get that you have to divide by 1000 in order to convert it to dS/m
This EC value will give you the salinity status of the soil sample.
Soil EC is best parameter to evaluate for salinity appraisal , many use saturation paste ECe also . For details , you can refer US Salinity Handbook 1954, though old citation but worth referring , excellent source of information .
Electrical Conductivity extracted with soil saturated paste and exchangeable sodium percentage helps in determining soil salinity
For a reliable and quick results in the field, you can determine the electric conductivity (EC) as an indicator of total dissolved solids (TDS) (i.e. salinity) of tap water, & irrigation water. As follow:
Then measure the EC of the solution in both samples by using the electrical conductivity meter.
Take soil samples from the same depth, crush and grind the cleaned sample (stones, etc.) to a fine powder and allow it to dry (air drying). Per sample extract the salts by 5-10 times of deionised water (e.g. 250-500 ml of deionised water for a 50 g sample). Shake for approx. 1 hour in a shaking machine if available. Thereafter allow the solution to settle or filtrate if necessary. Determine the electrical conductivity (EC) by a previously calibrated EC meter.
1:5 method is a very easy and quick method. For examples 1g soil shake with 5 ml of water for 30 minutes and then reading with an EC meter. Finally, EC converted to ECe multiplied by the conversion factor.
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