Discussed the major soil types of India?
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Answer:
There are seven soil deposits in India. They are alluvial soil, black soil, red soil, laterite soil, or arid soil, and forest and mountainous soil ,marsh soil. These soils are formed by the sediments brought down by the rivers. They are also have varied chemical properties.
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.Alluvial soil Alluvial soil have been deposited by the Indus, the Ganges, and the Brahmaputra rivers. The entire northern plains (including parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar (Almost entirely), Chandigarh, Delhi (Almost entirely), Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal) are made of alluvial soil. These soil also extend in Rajasthan and Gujarat through a narrow corridor. It is also found in the eastern coastal plains particularly in the deltas of Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna, and the Kaveri rivers.[1]
Alluvial soil as a whole are very fertile. Mostly these soils contain adequate proportion of potash, phosphoric acid and lime which are ideal for the growth of sugarcane, paddy, wheat, and other cereal and pulse crops.[1]
Black soil Black soil is typical of the Deccan trap (Basalt) region spread over northwests Deccan plateau and is made up of lava flows. They cover the plateaus of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh, and Chattisgarh and extend in the south-east direction along the Godavari and the Krishna valleys.[1][3][4][2]
Also known as regur soil, black soil is ideal for growing cotton and is known as black cotton soil. They are rich in soil nutrients, such as calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime. These soils are generally poor in phosphoric contents.[1]
The black soils are made up of clayey soil, well-known for their capacity to hold moisture. Because of their high clay content, black soils develop wide cracks during the dry season, but their iron-rich granular structure makes them resistant to wind and water erosion. They are poor in humus yet highly moisture-retentive, thus responding well to irrigation. Those soils are also found on many peripheral tracts where the underlying basalt has been shifted from its original location by fluvial processes. The sifting has only led to an increased concentration of clastic contents.[3]
Black regur soil in Buldhana, Maharashrta
Red and yellow soil Red soil develops on crystalline igneous rocks in areas of low rainfall in the eastern and southern parts of the Deccan plateau. Yellow and red soils are also found in parts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, southern parts of the middle Ganga plain and along the Piedmont zone of the Western Ghats. Red and yellow soils develop a reddish colour due to diffusion of iron in crystalline and metamorphic rocks. It looks yellow when it occurs in a hydrated form.[1][2]
Laterite soil Laterite soils are mainly found in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and the hilly areas of Odisha and Assam. After adopting appropriate soil conservation techniques particularly in the hilly areas of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, this soil is very useful for growing tea and coffee. Red laterite soils in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala are more suitable for crops like cashew nut.
The laterite soil develops in areas with high temperature and heavy rainfall. This is the result of intense leaching due to heavy rain. Humus content of the soil is low because most of the microorganisms, particularly the decomposers, like bacteria, get destroyed due to high temperature. Laterite soils are suitable for cultivation with adequate doses of manure sand fertilizers.
Abandoned laterite quarry in Angadipuram, Kerala
Arid soil Arid soils range from red to brown in colour. They are generally sandy in texture and saline in nature. In some areas the salt content is very high and common salt is obtained by evaporating the water. Due to the dry climate, high temperature, evaporation is faster and the soil lacks humus and moisture. The lower horizons of the soil are occupied by Kankar because of the increasing calcium content downwards. The Kankar layer formations in the bottom horizons restrict the infiltration of water. After proper irrigation these soils become cultivable as has been in the case of western Rajasthan.
Arid land in Chandeni, Haryana
Forest soil Forests soils are found in the hilly and mountainous areas where sufficient rainforests are available. The soils texture varies according to the mountain environment where they are formed. They are loamy and silty in valley sides and coarse grained in the upper slopes. In the snow covered areas of Himalayas, these soils experience denudation and are acidic with low humus content. The soils found in the lower parts of the valleys particularly on the river terraces and alluvial fans are fertile.