What You'll Do

  • Communicate research or project results to other professionals or the public or teach related courses, seminars, or workshops.
  • 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.
  • Investigate responses of soils to specific management practices to determine the use capabilities of soils and the effects of alternative practices on soil productivity.
  • Develop methods of conserving or managing soil that can be applied by farmers or forestry companies.
  • 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.
  • Investigate soil problems or poor water quality to determine sources and effects.
  • Study soil characteristics to classify soils on the basis of factors such as geographic location, landscape position, or soil properties.
  • Develop improved measurement techniques, soil conservation methods, soil sampling devices, or related technology.
  • Conduct experiments investigating how soil forms, changes, or interacts with land-based ecosystems or living organisms.
  • Identify degraded or contaminated soils and develop plans to improve their chemical, biological, or physical characteristics.

Essential Skills

Reading Comprehension 4.0/5
Speaking 4.0/5
Science 4.0/5
Critical Thinking 4.0/5
Active Learning 4.0/5
Active Listening 3.88/5
Writing 3.88/5
Complex Problem Solving 3.88/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.75/5
Systems Analysis 3.5/5
Systems Evaluation 3.5/5
Mathematics 3.25/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.

Top passions

  • Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.
  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.

Common styles

Intellectual Curiosity, Attention to Detail, Innovation, Dependability, Adaptability

Want a personal read on fit? Take the free assessment and compare this career to your current role, nearby alternatives, and broader stronger-fit options.

Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Oral Comprehension 4.0/5
Written Comprehension 4.0/5
Oral Expression 4.0/5
Written Expression 4.0/5
Deductive Reasoning 4.0/5
Inductive Reasoning 4.0/5
Information Ordering 4.0/5
Category Flexibility 4.0/5

Technologies & Tools

3dMapper Autodesk AutoCAD Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator EPIC ESRI ArcGIS software European Soil Erosion Model EUROSEM GAEA Technologies WinSieve GEOEAS Geographic information system GIS software Geographic information system GIS systems GSLIB Gstat IBM SPSS Statistics LandSerf Leica Geosystems ERDAS IMAGINE Microsoft Access Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Word

Work Environment & Strengths

Common Strengths for This Career

  • Intellectual Curiosity (High importance: 4.78/5)
  • Attention to Detail (High importance: 4.71/5)
  • Innovation (High importance: 4.65/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.22/5)
  • Adaptability (High importance: 4.19/5)

Want to see how YOUR strengths align with this career?

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How to Become One

This career requires extensive preparation, typically including a graduate degree (Master's or Doctoral) and several years of experience. Most professionals in this field have invested significant time in education and training.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Agricultural Specialist Agriculturist Agronomist Apiculturist Arboreal Scientist Arboriculture Researcher Arboriculturist Arborist Biological Science Technician (Biological Science Tech) Botanist Corn Breeder Cotton Breeder Crop Nutrition Scientist Crop Protection Research Agronomist Entomologist Field Agronomist Field Research Agronomist Field Technology Development Agronomist Floriculturist Forage Physiologist Growth Specialist Horticultural Specialist Horticulture Specialist Horticulturist Hybrid Corn Breeder Microbiology Soil Scientist Plant Anatomist Plant Breeder Plant Breeder Scientist Plant Pathologist Plant Physiologist Plant Research Geneticist Plant Scientist Pomologist Precision Agronomist Research Agronomist Research Scientist Research Soil Scientist Scientist Scientist Propagator Soil Expert Soil Fertility Extension Specialist Soil Specialist Soil Technician (Soil Tech) Technical Agronomist Viticulturist Wholesale Agronomist

Career Fit FAQs

Is this career a good fit for me

This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.

Can this help if I want to stay in my field

Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.

What should I compare first

Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.