give in detail the classification of soil in india?
Answers
soils are divided into 8 categories. they are alluvial soils, Black cotton soils, Red soils, Laterite soils, Mountainous or forest soils, Arid or desert soils, Saline and alkaline soils Peaty and marshy soils.
Alluvial Soils:
Alluvial soils cover 24% of land surface in India and is found in Indo Ganga – Brahmaputra plain, coastal plains and river valleys. These are also found in foothills regions in plenty. It contains sand, loam and clay in different proportion.
There are two types of alluvial soils:
Khadar – which are newer alluvium. it is the soil deposited by the rivers every year. It is more fertile than the Bangar.
Bangar – which are older alluvium. It contains pebbles and calcium carbonates.
The colour of alluvium soils can be grey, light brown or yellowish. these soils are very rich in chemicals like Potash, Phosphoric acid, lime and carbon compounds but are deficient in Nitrogen and humus
Black Cotton Soils:
The local ame of cotton soil is regur in Maharastra. it is also known as cotton soil’
It is formed by weathering and erosion of volcanic lavas and hence found mainly in Deccan lava plateau. It is the most suitable soil for dry farming.
These are dark black in colour due to presence of ‘Titaniferrous Magnetite’, a compond of iron and aluminium.regur soils show high swelling on wetting and high shrinkage on drying due to the presence of Montmorillonite mineral.
Regur soils have high moisture retaining capacity, therefore suitable for Cotton, coarse grains, sunflower and citrus fruits but not suitable for heavy irrigation.
these soils are deficient in Nitrogen, humus and phosphoric acid but rich in lime, potash, iron, aluminium, calcium and magnesium.
Red Soils:
Red soils develop generally on disintegration of crystalline and metamorphic rocks in the areas of heavy rainfall. hence are rich in ferro magnesium minerals and the red colour of these soils is due to excesssive presence of Iron oxide.
These soils areporus and coarse grained and having low moisture retaining capacity. So, it is relatively less fertile soil and needs heavy and frequent irrigation for agriculture.
In the low lying areas, it is found as clay and in the higher land, it is found as unconsolidated soil. In the higher parts, it is suitable for growing bazra, groundnut and Potato whereas in low lying areas, rice, ragi and vegetables are grown in it.
These soils are rich in iron, magnesium and aluminium compounds, but poor in lime, humus, nitrogen and phosphoric acid.
Laterite Soils:
Laterite soils is formed in the areas of heavy rainfall (200cm or more) due to washing away of lime and silica and these are mainly found on top of hills and mountains in humid climate such as hills of Deccan plateau, Western Ghats, top of Eastern Ghats, Assam, Mysore, Malabar & Rajmahal hills.
These are residual in nature which are formed under typical monsoonal conditions. The process of formation is called leaching. In leaching process, siliceous compounds of soil are washed away by heavy rain in hot climate and sloppy terrain, hence such soils are deficient in siliceous compounds.
These soils are not very fertile but proved to be suitable for bushes and pastures only. With the help of fertilizers, this soil can be made suitable for the cultivation of plantation crops such as coffee, coconut, cashew nut, ragi etc.
These soils are rich in oxides of iron and aluminium but deficient in nitrogen, phosphoric acid, lime and potash.