Horticulturist vs plant breeder scientist

The differences between horticulturists and plant breeder scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a horticulturist and a plant breeder scientist. Additionally, a plant breeder scientist has an average salary of $73,225, which is higher than the $36,583 average annual salary of a horticulturist.

The top three skills for a horticulturist include GRASS, irrigation systems and horticulture. The most important skills for a plant breeder scientist are laboratory procedures, USDA, and disease resistance.

Horticulturist vs plant breeder scientist overview

	Horticulturist	Plant Breeder Scientist
Yearly salary	$36,583	$73,225
Hourly rate	$17.59	$35.20
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	327	50,535
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Horticulturist vs plant breeder scientist salary

Horticulturists and plant breeder scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Horticulturist	Plant Breeder Scientist
Average salary	$36,583	$73,225
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $60,000	Between $44,000 And $119,000
Highest paying City	Wellesley, MA	Cambridge, MA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Connecticut
Best paying company	Stanford Health Care	Bristol-Myers Squibb
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between horticulturist and plant breeder scientist education

There are a few differences between a horticulturist and a plant breeder scientist in terms of educational background:

	Horticulturist	Plant Breeder Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Plant Sciences	Plant Sciences
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Horticulturist vs plant breeder scientist demographics

Here are the differences between horticulturists' and plant breeder scientists' demographics:

	Horticulturist	Plant Breeder Scientist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 59.4% Female, 40.6%	Male, 41.7% Female, 58.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 9.1% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 2.7% Hispanic or Latino, 5.9% Asian, 9.4% White, 78.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	19%	19%

Differences between horticulturist and plant breeder scientist duties and responsibilities

Horticulturist example responsibilities.

Manage payroll processing and all aspects of accounts receivable and payable.
Operate snow plows, snow blowers and large salt sprayers.
Maintain all flower beds, landscape areas, and turf grass areas.
Use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers.
Maintain inventory and help with Quickbooks.
Provide assistance with loading and unloading pigs.

Plant breeder scientist example responsibilities.

Develop and manage third party claim investigations and contractor remedial oversight for various insurance companies.
Conduct technology comparison study to assess applicability of a wide range of chromatography products to support specific HTS assays.
Analyze parallel synthesis libraries using high-throughput LC/MS methods with UV/ELS detection including mass determination, purity evaluation, and quantification.

Horticulturist vs plant breeder scientist skills

Common horticulturist skills

GRASS, 13%
Irrigation Systems, 9%
Horticulture, 9%
Grounds Maintenance, 7%
Mowing, 6%
Plant Material, 4%

Common plant breeder scientist skills

Laboratory Procedures, 26%
USDA, 23%
Disease Resistance, 22%
GC, 15%
PCR, 14%

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Horticulturist
Horticulturist vs Plant Breeder Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

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