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Main Authors: Sapana Pokhrel, Jarrod O. Miller, Amy L. Shober, Willow Blew
Format: Artículo Open Access
Published: Wiley 2026
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Online Access:https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cft2.70121
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author Sapana Pokhrel
Jarrod O. Miller
Amy L. Shober
Willow Blew
author_facet Sapana Pokhrel
Jarrod O. Miller
Amy L. Shober
Willow Blew
Sapana Pokhrel
Jarrod O. Miller
Amy L. Shober
Willow Blew
collection Wiley Open Access
contents Application of routine Mehlich‐3 and EC ratio tests for salinity and sodicity management in Delmarva coastal croplands Sapana Pokhrel Jarrod O. Miller Amy L. Shober Willow Blew Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Management Abstract The Delmarva Peninsula in the Eastern United States faces growing threats from saltwater intrusion, necessitating accurate and timely salinity diagnostics to reduce crop productivity losses. The globally recognized saturated paste (SP) extraction method, which yields critical measures, including electrical conductivity (EC e ), is labor‐intensive, costly, and generally unavailable in routine Eastern U.S. laboratories, creating logistical barriers for effective management. The objective of this study was to establish the utility of converting routine Mehlich‐3–extractable sodium (M3‐Na) results directly into standard SP equivalents and to present additional region‐specific conversion relationships to improve the accessibility of salinity and sodicity risk assessments. We analyzed 291 soil samples collected from 13 salt‐affected Delmarva agricultural fields (2020–2023) using standard SP methods, rapid EC measurements (EC 1:2 , EC 1:5 ), and M3 and ammonium acetate extractions. Strong linear correlations were observed between M3‐Na and the rapid EC methods; EC 1:2 proved to be an efficient proxy for EC e . These reliable, region‐specific conversion models (e.g., EC e  = 2.11 × EC 1:2 and EC e  = 1.13 × M3‐Na without intercept) enable laboratories to efficiently report critical EC e values and perform timely screening for salinity and the associated sodicity risk using existing M3 data, effectively eliminating financial and logistical barriers for managing salt‐affected soils in the Mid‐Atlantic. 10.1002/cft2.70121 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
doi_str_mv 10.1002/cft2.70121
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license_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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spellingShingle Application of routine Mehlich‐3 and EC ratio tests for salinity and sodicity management in Delmarva coastal croplands
Sapana Pokhrel
Jarrod O. Miller
Amy L. Shober
Willow Blew
Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Management
Application of routine Mehlich‐3 and EC ratio tests for salinity and sodicity management in Delmarva coastal croplands Sapana Pokhrel Jarrod O. Miller Amy L. Shober Willow Blew Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Management Abstract The Delmarva Peninsula in the Eastern United States faces growing threats from saltwater intrusion, necessitating accurate and timely salinity diagnostics to reduce crop productivity losses. The globally recognized saturated paste (SP) extraction method, which yields critical measures, including electrical conductivity (EC e ), is labor‐intensive, costly, and generally unavailable in routine Eastern U.S. laboratories, creating logistical barriers for effective management. The objective of this study was to establish the utility of converting routine Mehlich‐3–extractable sodium (M3‐Na) results directly into standard SP equivalents and to present additional region‐specific conversion relationships to improve the accessibility of salinity and sodicity risk assessments. We analyzed 291 soil samples collected from 13 salt‐affected Delmarva agricultural fields (2020–2023) using standard SP methods, rapid EC measurements (EC 1:2 , EC 1:5 ), and M3 and ammonium acetate extractions. Strong linear correlations were observed between M3‐Na and the rapid EC methods; EC 1:2 proved to be an efficient proxy for EC e . These reliable, region‐specific conversion models (e.g., EC e  = 2.11 × EC 1:2 and EC e  = 1.13 × M3‐Na without intercept) enable laboratories to efficiently report critical EC e values and perform timely screening for salinity and the associated sodicity risk using existing M3 data, effectively eliminating financial and logistical barriers for managing salt‐affected soils in the Mid‐Atlantic. 10.1002/cft2.70121 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
title Application of routine Mehlich‐3 and EC ratio tests for salinity and sodicity management in Delmarva coastal croplands
topic Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Management
url https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cft2.70121