What the work involves, what it pays, and grounded tasks, skills, tools, and experience you can choose from.
Also called arboreal scientist, crop nutrition scientist, microbiology soil scientist and plant breeder scientist.
$78,850
Median pay a year
15,730
People do this work
6
Resume lines ready for you
Real figures for this work, and lines you can use in your own resume. Where they come from is at the foot of this page.
An example
A Soil and Plant Scientist resume, filled in
Common skills that can help you remember what you used on the job.
Developing agricultural methods
Researching sustainable agriculture practices
Researching crop management methods
Conducting research of natural processes
Planning resource conservation
Directing natural resources management
Advising on land management
Researching hydrologic features
Researching geological features
Conducting climatological research
Researching conservation initiative impacts
Researching diseases or parasites
Every line comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Soil and Plant Scientist
Summary
Soil and plant scientist conducting research on crop breeding, soil composition, and pest control, while providing recommendations for land use and developing methods for soil conservation and management
Experience
Soil and Plant Scientist
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Communicated research results to professionals and the public through courses, seminars, and workshops
Developed methods of conserving or managing soil for farmers and forestry companies
Provided recommendations to farmers on land use, plant growth promotion, and erosion correction
Conducted experiments to develop new varieties of field crops focusing on yield and disease resistance
Investigated soil problems and poor water quality to determine sources and effects
Identified degraded soils and developed plans to improve their characteristics
Studied soil characteristics to classify soils based on geographic location and properties
Directing natural resources management, Advising on land management
Open to
On site, Remote
Education
Doctorate (PhD) Your university, Year
Yours will not say this. You choose what matches your experience, and every line remains yours to confirm or change.
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What to put on a Soil and Plant Scientist resume
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What did you do each day?
Choose what fits, or say your own.
Communicated research results to professionalsDeveloped methods for soil conservation managementProvided recommendations to landowners for land useConducted experiments on new crop varietiesInvestigated soil problems and water quality issuesIdentified degraded soils and improvement plans
becomes
On your resume
Communicated research findings to professionals, enhancing understanding of soil management practices
Provided tailored recommendations to landowners for effective land use and conservation strategies
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A few lines could show more. Each one is asked, and answered by choosing.
Show what improved in soil management after your communication
The line
Communicated research findings to professionals, leading to the adoption of better soil management practices by local farmers
Show what improved in soil management after your communication
Pick one that fits
Better practices were adopted by local farmersIncreased awareness of soil issues among stakeholders
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Mention what benefits landowners saw from your recommendations
The line
Provided tailored recommendations to landowners for effective land use and conservation strategies
Mention what benefits landowners saw from your recommendations
Pick one that fits
Reduced erosion and improved crop yieldsEnhanced soil health and productivityIncreased landowner satisfaction with land use
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Every ready answer is in plain words, never a figure. Nothing is invented to fill a gap.
The work itself
What a Soil and Plant Scientist does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
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.
What it pays
How much does a Soil and Plant Scientist make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$61,660
Median
$78,850
75th percentile
$103,740
About 15,730 people do this work in the United States.
apiculturist, arboriculture researcher, arboriculturist, arborist, biological science tech, biological science technician, botanist, corn breeder, cotton breeder, 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, plant anatomist, plant breeder, plant pathologist, plant physiologist, plant research geneticist, pomologist, postdoc associate, postdoctoral associate, precision agronomist, research agronomist, research physiologist, soil expert, soil fertility extension specialist, soil specialist, soil tech, soil technician, technical agronomist, viticulturist, wholesale agronomist.
What you can already claim
What you can already claim as a Soil and Plant Scientist
Below are the tasks a Soil and Plant Scientist job is made of. Choose the ones you have really done. There is no wrong answer here, and you can change any of it later.
Which of these tasks have you actually done?
4 chosen. Rung never adds a task you did not choose.
You can already claim 4 of the 9 tasks this job is made of.
What you have not done yet. Planning resource conservation, Directing natural resources management, Advising on land management
Your resume, already started
Soil and Plant Scientist
Developing agricultural methods
Researching sustainable agriculture practices
Researching crop management methods
Conducting research of natural processes
Nothing here was invented. Every line is something you chose above, and it comes with you when you start.
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This page is about the occupation Soil and Plant Scientists. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.