Social Sciences, asked by tusu98, 5 months ago


Recently,
Indian Council of Agricultural Research has divide
the soil of India into how many types. Alorme them a write
about one type of soil in detail​

Answers

Answered by shraddha974096
1

Answer:

Have you ever thought about the most

important factor which supports trees,

grasses, crops and numerous lifeforms over the earth’s surface? Can one grow

a blade of grass without soil? While some

plants and organisms which are aquatic in

nature can sustain in water, do they not derive

nutrients from soil through water? You will

realise that soil is the most important layer of

the earth’s crust. It is a valuable resource. The

bulk of our food and much of our clothing is

derived from land-based crops that grow in the

soil. The soil on which we depend so much for

our day-to-day needs has evolved over

thousands of years. The various agents of

weathering and gradation have acted upon the

parent rock material to produce a thin layer of

soil.

Soil is the mixture of rock debris and

organic materials which develop on the earth’s

surface. The major factors affecting the

formation of soil are relief, parent material,

climate, vegetation and other life-forms and

time. Besides these, human activities also

influence it to a large extent. Components of

the soil are mineral particles, humus, water and

air. The actual amount of each of these depend

upon the type of soil. Some soils are deficient

in one or more of these, while there are some

others that have varied combinations.

Have you ever dug a pit in the field of your

school to plant a tree while celebrating VanMahotsava? Was the pit of uniform layer of soil

or did you notice different colours from the top

to the bottom of the pit?

If we dig a pit on land and look at the soil,

we find that it consists of three layers which

are called horizons. ‘Horizon A’ is the topmost

zone, where organic materials have got

incorporated with the mineral matter,

nutrients and water, which are necessary for

the growth of plants. ‘Horizon B’ is a transition

zone between the ‘horizon A’ and ‘horizon C’,

and contains matter derived from below as well

as from above. It has some organic matter in

it, although the mineral matter is noticeably

weathered. ‘Horizon C’ is composed of the loose

parent material. This layer is the first stage in

the soil formation process and eventually forms

the above two layers. This arrangement of layers

is known as the soil profile. Underneath these

three horizons is the rock which is also known

as the parent rock or the bedrock. Soil, which

is a complex and varied entity has always

drawn the attention of the scientists. In order

to understand its importance, it is essential to

attempt a scientific study of the soil.

Classification of the soil is an effort to achieve

this objective.

CLASSIFICATION OF SOILS

India has varied relief features, landforms,

climatic realms and vegetation types. These

have contributed in the development of various

types of soils in India.

In ancient times, soils used to be classified

into two main groups – Urvara and Usara,

which were fertile and sterile, respectively. In

the 16th centrury A.D., soils were classified on

the basis of their inherent characteristics and

external features such as texture, colour, slope

of land and moisture content in the soil. Based

on texture, main soil types were identified as

SOILS

CHAPTER

SOILS 69

sandy, clayey, silty and loam, etc. On the basis

of colour, they were red, yellow, black, etc.

Since Independence, scientific surveys of

soils have been conducted by various agencies.

Soil Survey of India, established in 1956, made

comprehensive studies of soils in selected areas

like in the Damodar Valley. The National

Bureau of Soil Survey and the Land Use

Planning an Institute under the control of the

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

did a lot of studies on Indian soils. In their effort

to study soil and to make it comparable at the

international level, the ICAR has classified the

Indian soils on the basis of their nature and

character as per the United States Department

of Agriculture (USDA) Soil Taxonomy.

ICAR has classified the soils of India into the

following order as per the USDA soil taxonomy

Sl. Order Area Percentage

No. (in Thousand

Hectares)

(i) Inceptisols 130372.90 39.74

(ii) Entisols 92131.71 28.08

(iii) Alfisols 44448.68 13.55

(iv) Vertisols 27960.00 8.52

(v) Aridisols 14069.00 4.28

(vi) Ultisols 8250.00 2.51

(vi) Mollisols 1320.00 0.40

(viii) Others 9503.10 2.92

Total 100

Source : Soils of India, National Bureau of Soil

Survey and Land Use Planning, Publication

Number 94

On the basis of genesis, colour,

composition and location, the soils of India

have been classified into:

(i) Alluvial soils

(ii) Black soils

(iii) Red and Yellow soils

(iv) Laterite soils

(v) Arid soils

(vi) Saline soils

(vii) Peaty soils

(viii) Forest soils.

Alluvial Soils

Alluvial soils are widespread in the northern

plains and the river valleys. These soils cover

about 40 per cent of the total area of

Explanation:

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