Technical aspects concerning the detection of animal waste nutrient content via its electrical characteristics

► Manure electrical conductivity sensors can have problems of duration and reliability. ► We study the corrosion resistance of 3 metals and a prototypal probe through Response Surface Modelling. ► The most suitable materials are: stainless steel (mass −1.8%, 15-mm dist.), brass (mass −13.0% max at 35 mm). ► The regression laws of the probe reach R2 ⩾ 0.74 considering: voltage drop, dry matter, temperature. ► Not considering the dry matter the estimates are still reliable (R2 ⩾ 0.66) for T ⩾ 20 °C.