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Job Description

Conduct research in breeding, physiology, production, yield, and management of crops and agricultural plants or trees, shrubs, and nursery stock, their growth in soils, and control of pests; or study the chemical, physical, biological, and mineralogical composition of soils as they relate to plant or crop growth. May classify and map soils and investigate effects of alternative practices on soil and crop productivity.

Job Details

The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 19-1013.00
The Mean Annual Wage in the U.S. is $ 69,290.00
The Mean Hourly Wage is $ 33.00
Currently, there are 14,690 people on this job

☝️ Information based on the reference occupation “Soil and Plant Scientists”.

Also Known As…

Tasks for “Soil Scientist”

Survey undisturbed or disturbed lands for classification, inventory, mapping, environmental impact assessments, environmental protection planning, conservation planning, or reclamation planning.
Provide information or recommendations to farmers or other landowners regarding ways in which they can best use land, promote plant growth, or avoid or correct problems such as erosion.
Develop methods of conserving or managing soil that can be applied by farmers or forestry companies.
Study soil characteristics to classify soils on the basis of factors such as geographic location, landscape position, or soil properties.
Conduct experiments investigating how soil forms, changes, or interacts with land-based ecosystems or living organisms.
Conduct experiments regarding causes of bee diseases or factors affecting yields of nectar or pollen.
Identify or classify species of insects or allied forms, such as mites or spiders.
Develop improved measurement techniques, soil conservation methods, soil sampling devices, or related technology.
Develop environmentally safe methods or products for controlling or eliminating weeds, crop diseases, or insect pests.
Study ways to improve agricultural sustainability, such as the use of new methods of composting.
Consult with engineers or other technical personnel working on construction projects about the effects of soil problems and possible solutions to these problems.
Identify degraded or contaminated soils and develop plans to improve their chemical, biological, or physical characteristics.
Provide advice regarding the development of regulatory standards for land reclamation or soil conservation.
Conduct research into the use of plant species as green fuels or in the production of green fuels.
Conduct research to determine best methods of planting, spraying, cultivating, harvesting, storing, processing, or transporting horticultural products.
Communicate research or project results to other professionals or the public or teach related courses, seminars, or workshops.
Investigate responses of soils to specific management practices to determine the effects of alternative practices on the environment.
Study insect distribution or habitat and recommend methods to prevent importation or spread of injurious species.
Develop ways of altering soils to suit different types of plants.
Investigate responses of soils to specific management practices to determine the use capabilities of soils and the effects of alternative practices on soil productivity.
Research technical requirements or environmental impacts of urban green spaces, such as green roof installations.
Investigate soil problems or poor water quality to determine sources and effects.
Develop new or improved methods or products for controlling or eliminating weeds, crop diseases, or insect pests.
Plan or supervise waste management programs for composting or farming.
Perform chemical analyses of the microorganism content of soils to determine microbial reactions or chemical mineralogical relationships to plant growth.
Plan or supervise land conservation or reclamation programs for industrial development projects.
Conduct experiments to develop new or improved varieties of field crops, focusing on characteristics such as yield, quality, disease resistance, nutritional value, or adaptation to specific soils or climates.

Related Technology & Tools

Synthetic aperture radar SAR
Reciprocating shaker water baths
Laboratory drying ovens
Calibrated soil scoops
Graduated glass cylinders
Hand augers
Infrared gas analyzers
Polarizing microscopes
Cell tissue culture incubators
Atomic absorption AA spectrometers
Digital cameras
Laboratory sieves
Hot water shaking baths
Laser particle sizers
Laminar flow hoods
Gel electrophoresis systems
Electron microscopes
Laboratory muffle furnaces
Osmometers
Flame photometers
Heat flux plates
Conductivity meters
Laboratory grinders
Luminometers
Porometers
Light detection and ranging LIDAR systems
Infrared cameras
Colorimeters
Refrigerated microfuges
Ground penetrating radar GPR
Fluorimeters
Laboratory test tubes
Circulating water baths
Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometers ICP-AES
pH indicators
Soil thermometers
Thermocouples
Laboratory mixers
Gamma ray spectrometers
Precision balances
Sample containers
Gel documentation systems
Psychrometers
Polymerase chain reaction PCR equipment
Erlenmeyer flasks
Personal digital assistants PDA
Lysimeters
Soil augers
Laptop computers
Microtiter plate readers
Soil analysis hydrometers
Epifluorescence microscopes
Spectrophotometers
Personal computers
Ion chromatographs
Gel dryers
Glass flasks
Tensiometers
Organic carbon analyzers
Dataloggers
Canopy analyzers
Laboratory growth chambers
High speed centrifuges
Desktop computers
Glass beakers
Global positioning system GPS receivers
Digital pH meters
Mass spectrometers
X ray fluorescence XRF spectrometers
Autosamplers
Soil moisture neutron probes

Geographic information system GIS software
R
Water Erosion Prediction Project WEPP
Microsoft Excel
GEOEAS
STATISTICA
SPAW
Microsoft Office
ESRI ArcGIS software
PedonCE
PC-Progress HYDRUS
Gstat
Microsoft PowerPoint
Soil information databases
SoilVision Systems SVOFFICE
Leica Geosystems ERDAS IMAGINE
3dMapper
Microsoft Access
SAS
UNSATFLOW
National Resources Conservation Service NRCS Soils Explorer
European Soil Erosion Model EUROSEM
GSLIB
Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator EPIC
SPSS
Microsoft Word
LandSerf
GAEA Technologies WinSieve
National Resources Conservation Service NRCS PEDON Description Program PDP
Variogram Estimation and Spatial Prediction plus Error Vesper
Autodesk AutoCAD
National Soil Information System NASIS
S-GeMS