Edaphology (from
Greek ,
edaphos, "ground", and ,
-logia) is one of two main divisions of
soil science, the other being
pedology. Edaphology is concerned with the influence of
soils on living things, particularly plants. The term is also applied to the study of how soil influences humankind's use of land for plant growth as well as man's overall use of the land. General subfields within edaphology are
agricultural soil science (known by the term
agrology in some regions) and
environmental soil science. (Pedology deals with pedogenesis, soil morphology, and soil classification.)