Jobs / Science and research / 19-1013.00
Soil and Plant Scientists
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.
- US jobs
- 15,730
- Median wage
- $78,850 a year
- Job family
- Science and research
Can agents do the work of soil and plant scientists?
We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Science and research:
- Task levelPartialThin evidence. CORE-Bench asks agents to reproduce the results of published papers in computer science, social science, and medicine from the authors' code and data. Princeton's HAL team declared it solved in December 2025: Claude Code with Claude Opus 4.5 scored 95.5% after manual regrading. No benchmark in our collection tests new experiments or lab work.
- Project levelNot yetThin evidence. On PaperBench, where agents replicate machine learning papers from scratch, the best official result is 26.0% (o1, April 2025). On a small subset, ML PhDs scored 41.4% against o1's 26.6%. No newer official results exist, and no benchmark tests research projects in other sciences.
Benchmarks for the job family
These cover work in science and research, not always this occupation's tasks.
- 95.5%Claude Code + Claude Opus 4.5 (after manual regrading) · 3 Dec 2025Solved
Typical tasks
From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.
- Communicate research or project results to other professionals or the public or teach related courses, seminars, or workshops.
- Develop methods of conserving or managing soil that can be applied by farmers or forestry companies.
- 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.
- 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.
- Investigate responses of soils to specific management practices to determine the use capabilities of soils and the effects of alternative practices on soil productivity.
- Conduct experiments to investigate the underlying mechanisms of plant growth and response to the environment.
- Identify degraded or contaminated soils and develop plans to improve their chemical, biological, or physical characteristics.
- Develop new or improved methods or products for controlling or eliminating weeds, crop diseases, or insect pests.
- Provide advice regarding the development of regulatory standards for land reclamation or soil conservation.
- 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.
Other job titles for this occupation (49)
Agronomist · Arboriculture Researcher · Crop Nutrition Scientist · Forage Physiologist · Horticulture Specialist · Plant Physiologist · Plant Research Geneticist · Research Scientist · Research Soil Scientist · Scientist · Agricultural Specialist · Agriculturist · Apiculturist · Arboreal Scientist · Arboriculturist · Arborist · Biological Science Technician (Biological Science Tech) · Botanist · Corn Breeder · Cotton Breeder · Crop Protection Research Agronomist · Entomologist · Field Agronomist · Field Research Agronomist · Field Technology Development Agronomist · Floriculturist · Growth Specialist · Horticultural Specialist · Horticulturist · Hybrid Corn Breeder · Microbiology Soil Scientist · Plant Anatomist · Plant Breeder · Plant Breeder Scientist · Plant Pathologist · Plant Scientist · Pomologist · Postdoctoral Associate (Postdoc Associate) · Precision Agronomist · Research Agronomist · Research Physiologist · Scientist Propagator · Soil Expert · Soil Fertility Extension Specialist · Soil Specialist · Soil Technician (Soil Tech) · Technical Agronomist · Viticulturist · Wholesale Agronomist