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Soil Types

The document describes different types of soils found in India and the crops suitable for each soil type. It discusses alluvial soil which is fertile but deficient in nutrients; laterite soil which is acidic and supports crops like tea and coffee; black soil which is rich in nutrients and good for cotton; red soil which supports crops like groundnuts and rice; desert soil which is clay-rich but lacks moisture and nutrients; and mountain soil which is humus-rich but deficient in some nutrients. It also mentions that saline, alkaline, peaty and marshy soils are unsuitable for agriculture due to their acidic or alkaline nature.

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Ashok Dangol
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21 views

Soil Types

The document describes different types of soils found in India and the crops suitable for each soil type. It discusses alluvial soil which is fertile but deficient in nutrients; laterite soil which is acidic and supports crops like tea and coffee; black soil which is rich in nutrients and good for cotton; red soil which supports crops like groundnuts and rice; desert soil which is clay-rich but lacks moisture and nutrients; and mountain soil which is humus-rich but deficient in some nutrients. It also mentions that saline, alkaline, peaty and marshy soils are unsuitable for agriculture due to their acidic or alkaline nature.

Uploaded by

Ashok Dangol
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Alluvial Soil

Alluvial soil is found in the northern plains of India. Alluvial soil is rich in potash but poor
in potassium and nitrogen. Nevertheless, it is a very fertile soil, which can support a wide
variety of crops such as rice, wheat, cotton, jute and sugarcane.

Laterite Soil
Laterite soil is found in regions of heavy rainfall such as southern parts of the Western
Ghats Mountain Range and in the Eastern Ghats Range in the state of Orissa. Heavy rainfall
leaches this soil of silica, and a deficiency in potash, magnesium and lime makes it acidic. It
is brownish to yellowish in colour due to the presence of iron oxides. Tea, coffee, cashew,
rubber and coconut grow well in laterite soil.

Black Soil
Also known as regur soil, black soil is very good for growing cotton. It is dark grey to black
in colour. Its high clay content gives it excellent moisture-retention capacity. Black soil is
rich in calcium, potassium and magnesium but deficient in nitrogen. Crops like tobacco,
oilseeds, jowar, ragi and maize grow well in black soil.

Red Soil
Red soil is sandy and is formed due to weathering of crystalline rocks. It is poor in nitrogen,
lime and phosphorus. However, it has a high amount of iron, which is why it is reddish in
colour. Red soil is found in the states of Tamil Nadu, southern parts of Karnataka and some
parts of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Rajasthan. It supports crops such
as groundnut, millet, tobacco, potato, rice, wheat and sugarcane.

Desert Soil
Desert soil is 90 per cent clay. Hence, it has poor moisture content. It is also deficient in
nitrogen and phosphorus but has high amount of phosphates and nitrates. This soil is found
in Rajasthan and parts of Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat. Indian farmers grow hardy crops
like millet and barley in desert soil.

Mountain Soil
Mountain soil is found mainly in the Himalayan region of the country. It is rich in humus
but has lesser amounts of potash, phosphorous and lime. With the use of fertilisers, farmers
grow tea, coffee, spices and Tropical fruits in this soil.

Other Types
The acidic nature of saline and alkaline soils, as well as peaty and marshy soils, make them
unfit for agriculture.

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