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Conductivity measurement in Agricultural application (CAT#: STEM-PPA-0026-WXH)

Introduction

For irrigation, the salinity of water is an important factor. If the salinity is too high, salts will accumulate in soil as the water evaporates, which may degrade soil quality and inhibit plant growth. Water with a conductivity of less than 700 uS/cm is acceptable for unrestricted irrigation use, and the use of water with conductivity values greater than 3000 uS/cm should be severely restricted.
Conductivity can also be used to monitor nutrient concentrations in liquid fertilizers. A quick check of the conductivity of liquid fertilizers can guard against mistakes such as improper mixing or malfunctioning injectors, protecting crops from wasteful over-fertilization or inadequate fertilizer application.




Principle

Conductivity is the measure of the ability of any solution to pass an electrical current. Conductivity is usually affected by free ions which are dissolved in any solution. The ions can be chloride, sulfate, nitrate, phosphate, sodium, magnesium, iron, calcium, or aluminum.

Applications

Agricultural and Hydroponics Applications

Procedure

1. Use a conductivity standard solution (usually potassium chloride or sodium chloride) to calibrate the meter for the range that you will be measuring.
2. Rinse the probe with distilled or deionized water.
3. Select the appropriate range beginning with the highest range and working down. Read the conductivity of the water sample. If the reading is in the lower 10 percent of the range, switch to the next lower range. If the conductivity of the sample ex ceeds the range of the instrument, you may dilute the sample. Be sure to perform the dilution according to the manufacturer's directions because the dilution might not have a simple linear relationship to the conductivity.
4. Rinse the probe with distilled or deionized water and repeat step 5 until finished.

Materials

Conductivity Meters
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