Correlation between soil electrical conductivity and winter wheat yield

‘Jingdong 12’ winter wheat was taken as the experimental objective, and the correlation between soil electrical conductivity (EC) in a crop growth season and the yield of the winter wheat was analyzed. A 1:5 soil water extract method was used to measure soil EC during the whole winter wheat growth season. The winter wheat yield was measured by a combine harvester with a global position system (GPS) receiver and a yield mapping system that could record the yield data and locations of zones. Statistical analysis shows that there is a linear correlation between soil EC and the winter wheat yield at different growth stages of the winter wheat. Correlation coefficients were calculated between soil EC data and the yield of the winter wheat. Estimation models of the winter wheat yield with soil EC data were established at every growth stage. The coefficients of determination for models were all greater than 0.630 and better results were obtained at the heading, watery and milk stages, respectively. The best model correlation coefficient reached 0.678 at the watery stage. Soil EC, as a comprehensive index of soil physical and chemical properties, can serve as a guideline for soil productive potentiality, and can be used to assess the variability of crop yield, determine management zones, and make a variable rate prescription for precision agriculture.