Soil Science & Plant Nutrition
Soil fertility, nutrient cycles, fertilization and soil conservation.
Soil science studies soils as the physical, chemical and biological basis of plant production: soil formation and classification, soil organic matter and carbon, nutrient and water dynamics, and degradation processes such as erosion, compaction and salinization.
Plant nutrition covers how plants take up and use nutrients - nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and micronutrients - and how mineral fertilizers, organic amendments, biological nitrogen fixation and microbial inoculants can supply them efficiently with minimal losses to the environment.
Typical research questions
- How can nutrient use efficiency be raised while reducing losses to water and air?
- Under which conditions do soils gain or lose organic carbon?
- How effective are organic amendments and microbial inoculants compared with mineral fertilizers?
- How can erosion and soil degradation be measured, mapped and prevented?
Publications per year
Papers whose main topic belongs to this field, 2010–2025.
Research fronts: fastest-growing topics
Papers 2024–2025 compared with 2021–2022, topics with at least 500 recent papers.
| Topic | 2021–2022 | 2024–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Humic Substances and Bio-Organic StudiesHumic Substances · Shilajit · Antioxidant · Anti-inflammatory | 762 | 1,258 | +65% |
| Agricultural Science and FertilizationSoil Fertility · Crop Productivity · Organic Manure · Integrated Nutrient Management | 2,193 | 3,486 | +59% |
| Soil Science and Environmental ManagementSoil Quality · Water Productivity · Conservation Agriculture · Quality Management | 602 | 871 | +45% |
| Agriculture, Plant Science, Crop ManagementOrganic Fertilizers · Nutrient Sources · Seed Yield · Microbial Inoculant | 1,432 | 2,044 | +43% |
| Composting and Vermicomposting TechniquesComposting · Maturity Assessment · Organic Waste · Microbial Activity | 2,621 | 3,549 | +35% |
| Plant Growth and Agriculture TechniquesSoil Fertility · Plant Nutrition · Organic Farming · Crop Production | 7,981 | 10,405 | +30% |
Largest topics
By number of papers 2024–2025.
- Soil Carbon and Nitrogen DynamicsSoil Carbon Sequestration · Nitrogen Cycle · Microbial Communities · Climate Change 13,304
- Plant Growth and Agriculture TechniquesSoil Fertility · Plant Nutrition · Organic Farming · Crop Production 10,405
- Soil erosion and sediment transportSoil Erosion · Agricultural Sustainability · Land Use Change · Sediment Transport Models 6,120
- Plant nutrient uptake and metabolismNitrogen · Phosphorus · Root Architecture · Sugar Signaling 4,127
- Soil Geostatistics and MappingDigital Soil Mapping · Geostatistics · Remote Sensing · Soil Properties 3,928
- Legume Nitrogen Fixing SymbiosisLegumes · Symbiosis · Nitrogen Fixation · Rhizobium 3,900
Highly cited recent papers
Most-cited articles and reviews published 2024–2025. Citation counts favor reviews and papers published early in the window.
- Soil organic matter priming: The pH effects
- Role of Soil Microbiota Enzymes in Soil Health and Activity Changes Depending on Climate Change and the Type of Soil Ecosystem
- Soil phosphorus transformation and plant uptake driven by phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms
- Biochar Production and Characteristics, Its Impacts on Soil Health, Crop Production, and Yield Enhancement: A Review
- Nutrient-induced acidification modulates soil biodiversity-function relationships
- Global turnover of soil mineral-associated and particulate organic carbon
Study programs in this field
- Agriculture Master University of Copenhagen · Denmark Taught in English
- Sustainable Land Management Master Ghent University · Belgium
- Integrative Plant Science (MPS) Master Cornell University · United States Taught in English
- Plant and Environmental Soil Science Bachelor Texas A&M University · United States Taught in English
- Engenharia Agronômica (Agronomic Engineering) Bachelor Universidade de São Paulo · Brazil Taught in Portuguese
- Agronomia (Agronomy) Bachelor Universidade Federal de Viçosa · Brazil Taught in Portuguese
- Bachelor of Agricultural Science Bachelor Universiti Putra Malaysia · Malaysia
- Bachelor of Agricultural Science Bachelor The University of Queensland · Australia Taught in English
- Master of Agricultural Sciences Master The University of Melbourne · Australia Taught in English