Sensor 03 · Conductivity

Soil EC
Sensing

Electrical conductivity reveals your soil's salinity and nutrient balance — preventing over-fertilisation, salt build-up and costly crop damage.

Live reading — Greenhouse Block 2

1.8 mS/cm

Electrical conductivity — optimal range for most vegetables

1.6

10 cm
mS/cm

1.8

30 cm
mS/cm

2.1

60 cm
mS/cm

Within optimal range — no salinity alert

Conductivity is your
soil's health score

EC is a proxy for dissolved ions — nutrients, salts and minerals. Too low means nutrient deficiency; too high means salinity stress. Real-time data keeps you in the sweet spot.

Prevent salt build-up

Heavy fertiliser use or poor drainage causes salt accumulation. EC sensors alert you before salinity reaches toxic levels for your crops.

Optimise fertiliser use

Apply only what your soil actually needs. EC monitoring cuts fertiliser costs by 20–35% by eliminating guesswork applications.

Detect irrigation water quality

Irrigation water with high salt content raises soil EC over time. Catch quality problems at the water source before they spread to your fields.

Map soil variability

Deploy multiple sensors across a field to create EC variability maps. Target variable-rate applications to zones that actually need inputs.

Post-fertilisation verification

Confirm that applied fertiliser has dissolved and reached root depth. Monitor leaching after rain or irrigation events automatically.

Greenhouse fertigation control

Automate fertigation systems to maintain target EC levels in the root zone — commonly used in hydroponic and substrate growing systems.

Understanding your EC readings

Different crops tolerate different EC levels. Use this reference to set alert thresholds on your NuaSense dashboard for your specific crop type.

EC guide — general crops

< 0.5 mS/cm Very low — nutrient deficiency risk
0.5 – 1.5 Low — suitable for seedlings
1.5 – 3.0 Optimal — most vegetables & crops
3.0 – 5.0 Elevated — salt-tolerant crops only
> 5.0 mS/cm High salinity — crop stress risk

Sensor specifications

MeasurementElectrical conductivity (EC)
Range0 – 20 mS/cm
Accuracy±3% of reading
Probe depths10 cm · 30 cm · 60 cm
TransmissionLoRaWAN · Class A
RangeUp to 15 km (line-of-sight)
Battery2+ years (AA cells)
IP ratingIP67 — dust & waterproof
Temp compensationAutomatic (25°C reference)
IntervalConfigurable (default 15 min)
NuaSense soil EC sensor probe close-up

Who uses EC sensors

01

Greenhouse & hydroponics

EC is the primary control metric for fertigation in greenhouse production. Automate nutrient delivery with live EC feedback loops.

02

Floriculture & cut flowers

Kenya's flower industry demands precise nutrition. EC sensors help flower farms maintain exact nutrient concentrations for premium quality output.

03

Irrigated arid-zone farming

Irrigation in semi-arid Kenya can concentrate salts in topsoil. EC monitoring enables timely leaching events to prevent salinity build-up.

04

Soil remediation projects

Track EC decline during leaching operations, or monitor soil recovery after saline flooding events across large areas using multiple sensors.

Start monitoring soil conductivity

Get in touch for a quote, demo, or site visit. Our team covers all of Kenya.

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