AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 19-1013.00

Will AI replace Soil and Plant Scientists?

Soil and Plant Scientists: AI can already handle 4 of 27 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.

Have a team in this role?

Get your free 10-role sample: send this role and up to nine others, and a founder sends a board-pack PDF within two business days.

Get your free 10-role sample Book a 15-minute call

Every task, scored

The 27 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Soil and Plant Scientists, from most to least exposed. 4 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Survey undisturbed or disturbed lands for classification, inventory, mapping, environmental impact assessments, environmental protection planning, conservation planning, or reclamation planning. 65 Estimated Standard 3.3
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. 60 Estimated Frontier 4.0
Consult with engineers or other technical personnel working on construction projects about the effects of soil problems and possible solutions to these problems. 60 Estimated Standard 3.3
Study insect distribution or habitat and recommend methods to prevent importation or spread of injurious species. 60 Estimated Efficient 2.6
Investigate soil problems or poor water quality to determine sources and effects. 55 Estimated Efficient 3.8
Investigate responses of soils to specific management practices to determine the use capabilities of soils and the effects of alternative practices on soil productivity. 55 Estimated Efficient 3.8
Study soil characteristics to classify soils on the basis of factors such as geographic location, landscape position, or soil properties. 55 Estimated Efficient 3.5
Study ways to improve agricultural sustainability, such as the use of new methods of composting. 55 Estimated Efficient 3.4
Conduct experiments investigating how soil forms, changes, or interacts with land-based ecosystems or living organisms. 55 Estimated Efficient 3.1
Identify or classify species of insects or allied forms, such as mites or spiders. 55 Estimated Efficient 2.7
Conduct experiments regarding causes of bee diseases or factors affecting yields of nectar or pollen. 55 Estimated Efficient 2.7
Develop methods of conserving or managing soil that can be applied by farmers or forestry companies. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.1
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. 50 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Conduct experiments to investigate the underlying mechanisms of plant growth and response to the environment. 50 Estimated Efficient 3.7
Identify degraded or contaminated soils and develop plans to improve their chemical, biological, or physical characteristics. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.6
Develop new or improved methods or products for controlling or eliminating weeds, crop diseases, or insect pests. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.6
Provide advice regarding the development of regulatory standards for land reclamation or soil conservation. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.5
Develop improved measurement techniques, soil conservation methods, soil sampling devices, or related technology. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.5
Conduct research to determine best methods of planting, spraying, cultivating, harvesting, storing, processing, or transporting horticultural products. 50 Estimated Efficient 3.5
Develop environmentally safe methods or products for controlling or eliminating weeds, crop diseases, or pests. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.5
Perform chemical analyses of the microorganism content of soils to determine microbial reactions or chemical mineralogical relationships to plant growth. 50 Estimated Standard 3.3
Plan or supervise waste management programs for composting or farming. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.1
Develop ways of altering soils to suit different types of plants. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.1
Plan or supervise land conservation or reclamation programs for industrial development projects. 50 Estimated Frontier 2.5
Conduct research into the use of plant species as green fuels or in the production of green fuels. 50 Estimated Efficient 2.3
Communicate research or project results to other professionals or the public or teach related courses, seminars, or workshops. 35 Estimated Efficient 4.2
Research technical requirements or environmental impacts of urban green spaces, such as green roof installations. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.0

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 27 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 27 of 27. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.

The model tier this role needs

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.

Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.

Wages, employment and outlook

US employment
15,730
Median annual wage
$78,850
Middle half of earners
$61,660 to $103,740
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+5.4%

Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.

Adjacent roles

The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Soil and Plant Scientists and AI

Will AI replace Soil and Plant Scientists?

AI already handles 4 of the 27 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 51 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +5.4% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Soil and Plant Scientists?

51 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 27 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 27 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Soil and Plant Scientists tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Survey undisturbed or disturbed lands for classification, inventory, mapping, environmental impact assessments, environmental protection planning, conservation planning, or reclamation planning; 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; Consult with engineers or other technical personnel working on construction projects about the effects of soil problems and possible solutions to these problems. They are three of the 4 tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.

How many people work as Soil and Plant Scientists, and what do they earn?

15,730 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $78,850 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +5.4% from 2024 to 2034.

How to cite

Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.

JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Soil and Plant Scientists. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/soil-and-plant-scientists

Have a team in this role?

Get your free 10-role sample. Send this role and up to nine others, with no employee data, and a founder sends a PDF in board-pack format within two business days.

Get your free 10-role sample Book a 15-minute call

A founder replies within one business day.