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.

Studying soil science & plant nutrition

Degree programs in this subject often run under these names:

What you typically learn

  • Soil formation, classification and mapping
  • Soil chemistry, physics and biology
  • Plant nutrition and fertilizer use
  • Soil organic matter and carbon
  • Erosion, degradation and soil conservation
  • Soil and plant analysis in the laboratory

Where graduates typically work

  • Fertilizer industry and agricultural advisory
  • Environmental consulting and land remediation
  • Soil surveys and land-use planning authorities
  • Laboratories for soil and plant analysis
  • Agricultural and environmental research

Curricula differ by country and institution - the program pages linked below have the details.

Where to study soil science & plant nutrition

174 programs in 69 countries. See all 174 programs

Where research is heading

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.

0 30k 60k2010: 36,46120102011: 36,1992012: 38,2202013: 40,9872014: 43,5212015: 41,98320152016: 43,2342017: 43,2442018: 45,1192019: 45,4652020: 46,36620202021: 43,7872022: 42,5792023: 45,4622024: 47,3382025: 53,9092025

Research fronts: fastest-growing topics

Papers 2024–2025 compared with 2021–2022, topics with at least 500 recent papers.

Topic2021–20222024–2025Change
Soil Science and Environmental Management[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object]645982+52%
Agriculture, Plant Science, Crop Management[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object]2,7174,024+48%
Agricultural Science and Fertilization[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object]14,13918,990+34%
Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object]18,37623,286+27%
Composting and Vermicomposting Techniques[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object]4,0344,998+24%
Plant Growth and Agriculture Techniques[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object]6,2147,378+19%

Largest topics

By number of papers 2024–2025.

  1. Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] 23,286
  2. Agricultural Science and Fertilization[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] 18,990
  3. Plant Growth and Agriculture Techniques[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] 7,378
  4. Soil erosion and sediment transport[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] 7,364
  5. Soil Management and Crop Yield[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] 5,973
  6. Composting and Vermicomposting Techniques[object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] · [object Object] 4,998

Highly cited recent papers

Most-cited articles and reviews published 2024–2025. Citation counts favor reviews and papers published early in the window.

  1. Advanced Modelling of Soil Organic Carbon Content in Coal Mining Areas Using Integrated Spectral Analysis: A Dengcao Coal Mine Case Study Gill Ammara, Xiaojun Nie, Chang Liu · International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology (IJISRT) · 2024 · 958 citations · Open access
  2. Mechanisms and implications of bacterial–fungal competition for soil resources Chaoqun Wang, Yakov V. Kuzyakov · The ISME Journal · 2024 · 714 citations · Open access
  3. Role of Soil Microbiota Enzymes in Soil Health and Activity Changes Depending on Climate Change and the Type of Soil Ecosystem Jokūbas Daunoras, Audrius Kačergius, Renata Gudiukaitė · Biology · 2024 · 397 citations · Open access
  4. Soil organic matter priming: The pH effects Chaoqun Wang, Yakov V. Kuzyakov · Global Change Biology · 2024 · 396 citations · Open access
  5. Simplified microbial network reduced microbial structure stability and soil functionality in alpine grassland along a natural aridity gradient Chao Zhang, Shilong Lei, Hongyue Wu et al. · Soil Biology and Biochemistry · 2024 · 310 citations
  6. Biochar Production and Characteristics, Its Impacts on Soil Health, Crop Production, and Yield Enhancement: A Review Shahbaz Khan, Sohail Irshad, Kashf Mehmood et al. · Plants · 2024 · 299 citations · Open access

All study programs in soil science & plant nutrition

All study programs