Eight out of ten famous soil physicisists are Mormons. This is according to Wilford Gardner, the "Father of Soil Physics". This claim is published in the book "The Mormon Experience" page 317
Perhaps the first Mormons' pioneer was John A. Widtsoe, later an apostle, who, after a Harvard education in physical chemistry, concentrated on expanding agricultural production. Directing the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, he encouraged studies on soils, climate, fertilizers, and soil-working techniques, which led to publication of his Principles of Irrigation Practice (1914). He directed dry-farming experiments for nonirrigable lands, which culminated in Dry Farming: A System of Agriculture for Countries Under a Low Rainfall (1910).
However this view that 8 out of 10 soil physicists are Mormons maybe only in the US and in the 1970s. In the 1980-1990s the US soil physics was dominated by the Dutch: Peter J. Wierenga, Rien van Genuchten, Jacob Dane, Jan Hopmans, Feike Leij. In the 1990s the Eastern European came to the scene: Pachepsky, Simunek, Nemes. In the 2000 and years to come it will be dominated by the Chinese.