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Congratulations on the purchase of your FieldScout
Direct Soil EC Meter. This instrument has been specif-
ically designed for direct measurement of salts in soil
media as well as water or nutrient solutions. This man-
ual describes how to use your meter and keep it work-
ing accurately for many years. Please read it thor-
oughly to get effective performance from your meter.
The salinity of the soil solution, irrigation water or ferti-
lizer solution is an important parameter affecting the
root zone environment. Any of these factors can have
a significant effect on plant growth and physiology.
The easiest way to monitor salinity is by measuring the
electrical conductivity (EC). EC is strongly correlated
to the salinity of the soil solution. EC measurement is
also affected by temperature and, to a lesser degree,
by soil moisture content.
Use this portable EC meter and probe to measure sa-
linity in greenhouse soil media right on the spot with-
out tedious soil sampling and preparation. Green-
house production managers can compare readings
from plant to plant and fine
-
tune their fertility program
because measurements can be made directly in a plug
tray cell without cannibalizing the seedlings. Turf man-
agers can monitor for high salt levels on golf course
greens and determine when to flush (leach) salts be-
fore turf quality declines.
The meter comes with the Field Scout Soil/Water EC
probe. This single, stainless steel probe has a special-
ly designed conical tip. It can measure liquid EC
(water or nutrient solutions) or in
-
situ soil salinity. The
probe automatically compensates for temperature.
Introduction
