The study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the earth includes its creation, categorization, and mapping, as well as its physical, chemical, biological, and fertility features and how these properties relate to its use and management.
Sometimes names that pertain to specific subfields of soil science, including pedology (the formation, chemistry, morphology, and categorization of soil) and edaphology (the interaction of soils with living organisms, particularly plants), are used interchangeably with soil science. The many associations involved are what account for the variety of names connected with this profession. Indeed, a wide range of professionals, including engineers, agronomists, chemists, geologists, physical geographers, ecologists, biologists, microbiologists, silviculturists, sanitarians, archaeologists, and regional planning experts, contribute to the advancement of the soil sciences and the further understanding of soils. Concerns regarding how to protect soil and arable land in a world with a growing population, a potential water crisis, rising per capita food demand, and land degradation have been expressed by soil scientists. "The many kinds of earth on the surface of the rocks, generated by the breaking down or weathering of rocks," according to an encyclopaedia definition from 1914. helps to demonstrate the historical perspective on soil that has been held since the 19th century. Dokuchaev's notion of soil from the late 19th century evolved into one of soil as an earthy substance that has been modified by living activities in the 20th century. The consequent idea is that soil devoid of live organisms is only a component of the surface of the planet.
The idea of soil is being further developed in light of our growing understanding of how energy is transported and transformed within soil.