The Electrical Conductivity of Aqueous Soil Suspensions as a Measure of Soil Fertility

Abstract

Measurements have been made of the electrical conductivity of aqueous suspensions of stored soil samples taken at intervals of several years from four of the Rothamsted classical plots bearing the same crop every year. The results show that under continuous cropping:1. The initial conductivity (and therefore the soluble salt content) of an unmanured soil decreases steadily to a minimum value, which then remains fairly constant over a long period of years. There is reason to believe that, under the same conditions, the normal initial conductivity of a continuously manured plot (excluding the temporary increased measurements due to application of manure) decreases similarly to a fairly constant minimum value, which is slightly greater than that of an adjacent unmanured soil depending on the kind and probably on the quantity of manure applied.2. The 7 days’ increase of both unmanured and manured soil decreases progressively. In the case of an unmanured soil for which earlier samples were available, the 7 days’ increase is found to decrease comparatively rapidly during the first few years of continuous cropping.