Soil scientist

The soil scientist collects experimental data from the field and from the laboratory, works from soil structure and soil mechanics, and establishes the properties of a given soil: its texture, its organic content, its water behaviour and its load-bearing capacity. On that basis, the soil scientist recommends measurement techniques, irrigation and erosion control measures.

The soil scientist provides for the protection and rebuilding of land degraded by intensive agriculture or by human activity. The soil scientist checks the effect of the recommended measures with repeated measurements.

The soil scientist also knows crop management principles, so that recommendations can be applied on a farm, and European pesticide legislation, which sets which products may be used. The soil scientist knows geology, because a soil forms from the parent rock beneath it, and applies laboratory safety procedures in the analytical work. Educational requirements are set by the employer, and preparation for the role rests on knowledge of soil science, geology and soil mechanics.