Types of Soil in India

Introduction

• Soil can be defined as the mixture of organic matter or humus, minerals,

gases, liquids, and microorganisms that together support life.

• Soil is also commonly referred to as the top layer of the earth's crust which
supports life.

• This top layer or the outermost layer of earth that is composed of soil is called
Pedosphere. The word 'pedon' is a Greek word which means "ground" or
"earth. The Pedosphere interfaces with the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the
atmosphere, and the biosphere.

Soil has four major functions

• It provides a medium for plant growth.

• As a means of water storage, supply and purification
• As a modifier of Earth's atmosphere
• As a habitat for organisms

Biotic and Abiotic Factor of Soil

• Soil is an important factor of our ecosystem, and it contains both

biotic and Abiotic factors.

• Biotic factors – Biotic factors includes the living things like

various organisms, insects, plants and animals.

• Abiotic factor – Abiotic factor includes the non- living things like
minerals, water, and air.

• Silicate minerals are the most common minerals found on the earth
crusts. Most abundant silicates are feldspars.

• Soil provides essential metals for plant growth like Nitrogen,

Potassium and Phosphorus and less common minerals like Calcium,
Magnesium, and Sulphur.
 Types of Soil in India

Composition of Soil

• Soil composed of five major components. It

includes _
1. Mineral matter which is obtained by the
disintegration and decomposition of rocks by pressure and
temperature.
2. Organic matter which is obtained by the decay of plant residues,
animal remains and microbial tissues.
3. Water, obtained from the atmosphere and the reactions in soil
(chemical, physical and microbial)
4. Air or gas, from atmosphere, reactions of roots, microbes and
chemicals in the soil.
5. Organisms like insects, worms and Micro-organisms like Small
microbes.

Classification of Soil

♦ In ancient times based on fertility soil classified into two main groups, these
include
• Urvara -- Fertile soil
• Usara -- Sterile (Infertile soil)

♦ Based on texture, soil can be classified into 4 groups

• Sandy
• Clayey
• Silty
• Loam

♦ On the Basis of colour, the soil can be classified into 3 groups

• Red
• Yellow
• Black

Classification of soil as per Indian standard

• In the year 1953, The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) set
up an All India Soil Survey Committee. According to the survey report of the
Committee ICAR has classified the Indian soils into eight major groups on
the basis of their nature, genesis, colour, composition and location.
 Types of Soil in India

◘ List of the 8 major soil groups notified by ICAR

• Alluvial soils
• Black soils
• Red soils
• Laterite soils
• Forest and Mountain soils
• Arid and Desert soils
• Saline and Alkaline soils
• Marshy and Peaty soils
◘ About ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research)
• Director - Trilochan Mohapatra
• Location - New Delhi, Delhi, India
• Established - 16 July 1929

Details About the classification of soil as per Indian standard

Alluvial Soils of India

♦ General Features
• Alluvial or Alluvium soil is the most important and most widespread soil
group in India.
• It supports uninterrupted crop growth.
• Distributed over an area of 15 lakh sq. Km.
• Area covered In terms of Percentage - 45.6%.
• Transported and deposited through rivers and streams
• Soils range in nature from sandy loam to clay.
• The sand content decreases from the west to east.
• The colour of the alluvial soils varies from the mild grey to ash grey.
• Shades depend on the depth of the deposition.
• The Alluvial soils are yet Immature.
• Alluvial soil located near the foothills of Shivalik known as - Bhabar
• The Alluvia soil is the most productive soil in India as because it supports
wide pant growth.

♦ Location
• Northern plains (Mainly Indo-Gangetic Plain).
• Punjab in the west, West Bengal and Assam.
• River valleys and deltas of the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and
Cauvery.

♦ Composition
• Potash, Phosphoric Acid (Rich)
 Types of Soil in India

• Nitrogen (Poor)
• Iron Oxide and Lime vary within a wide range.

◘ Two Types of Alluvial soil

♦ Khadar
• New alluvium
• Deposited by floods annually
• Formed by depositing fine silts.

♦ Bhangar
• Represents a system of older alluvium,
• Deposited away from the floodplains.
**both the Khadar and Bhangar soils incorporate calcareous concretions
(Kankars).
**these soils are greater loamy and clayey within the lower and center Ganga
undeniable and the Brahmaputra valley

♦ Note:-
• Alluvial Soil located in the coastal area known as - Coastal Alluvium
• And Alluvial Soil located in the delta region of various river known as -
Deltaic Alluvium

Suitable Crops
• Rice, Wheat, Sugarcane, Maize, Pulses, Oilseeds, Fruits and Vegetables,
Leguminous Crops.

Black Soils of India

General features
• Known as ‘Regur Soil’ or ‘Black Cotton Soil.
• Highly retentive of moisture.
• They swell and become sticky when wet and shrink when dried.
• During the dry season, these soils develop wide cracks.
• Also called self ploughed soil.
• Because of this individual of gradual absorption and loss of moisture, the
black soil keeps the moisture for a completely long term.
• Important for rain fed crops, to sustain even during the dry season.
• The coloration of the soil levels from deep black to grey.
• Percentage of Back soil in India is 18.5%.

Area covered
• Covers most of the Deccan Plateau.
• Maharashtra
 Types of Soil in India

• Madhya Pradesh
• Gujarat
• Andhra Pradesh
• Some parts of Tamil Nadu.
• Upper reaches of the Godavari and the Krishna

Composition
• Rich in - Lime , iron, magnesia and alumina. potash
• Poor in - Phosphorous, nitrogen and organic matter

Suitable Crops
• Cotton, Tobacco, Castor, Wheat, Jowar, Millets, Sunflower.
 Types of Soil in India

Soils of India ( Image Source Aplus Topper)[/caption]

Red and Yellow Soils of India

Area Covered
• Eastern and southern part of the Deccan Plateau
• Along the piedmont zone of the Western Ghats.
• Parts of Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
• Southern parts of the middle Ganga plain.

General features
• Develops on crystalline igneous rocks
• Reddish colour due to a wide diffusion of iron oxide.
• Looks yellow when it occurs in a hydrated form.
• Fine-grained red and yellow soils are normally fertile, whereas coarse-grained
soils found in dry upland areas are poor in fertility.

Composition
• Poor in - Lime, Nitrogen and Humus, Phosphorous.
• Rich in - Potash.

Suitable Crops
• Cotton, Wheat, Rice, Pulse, Tobacco, Millets.

Laterite Soil in India

Common Features
• Derived from the Latin word ‘Later’ means brick.
• Indefinitely durable, develop in areas with high temperature and high
rainfall.
• These are the result of intense leaching due to tropical rains.
• With rain, lime and silica are leached away.
• Due to intensive leaching the Laterite soils generally lack fertility.
• Widely cut as bricks for use in house construction.
• Laterite soil is the end-product of weathering.
• It cannot be weathered much further.
• Percentage of Laterite soil in India is 2.62%.

Area Covered
• Tamil Nadu
• Andhra Pradesh
• Kerala
 Types of Soil in India

Composition
• Rich in -:- Iron oxide, Potash and aluminium compound.
• Poor in -:- Organic matter, nitrogen, phosphate.

Suitable Crops
• Cashew nut, Tea, Coffee, Coconut, Rubber, Cinchona, Cotton, Wheat, Rice, Pulse,
Tobacco, Millets.

Forest and Mountain Soil in India

Common features
• Total area covered - 2.85 lakh sq. km. (8.67%)
• The soil formed in the forest area regions where sufficient rainfall is available.
• They are loamy and silty on valley sides.
• And coarse-grained in the upper slopes.
• The soils found in the lower valleys are fertile.

Area Covered
• Mainly found on the hill slopes of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand , Karnataka, Tamil Nadu.

Composition
• Rich in - Humus
• Poor in - Potash, Phosphorus and Lime.

Suitable Crops
• Tea, Coffee, Spices and Tropical fruits in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Arid and Desert soils in India

Common Features
• Total area covered 4.32% (1.42 lakh sq km.)
• Red to brown in colour.
• Generally sandy in structure.
• Saline in nature.
• Due to the dry climate, high temperature and accelerated evaporation, they
lack moisture and humus.
• They occur in arid and semi-arid regions, and in waterlogged and swampy
areas.

Area Covered
• Rajasthan
• Gujarat (Rann of Kutch)
• Adjoining areas of Punjab and Haryana lying between the Indus and Aravalis.
 Types of Soil in India

Composition
• Poor in - Humus, Nitrogen
• Rich in - Calcium salts and Phosphate

Suitable Crops
• Barley, Rape, Cotton, Wheat, Millets, Maize and Pulses.

Saline and Alkaline Soil in India

Common Features
• Known as Usara soils.
• Do not support any vegetative growth.
• They have more salts, largely because of dry climate and poor
drainage.
• Known as different names such as - Reh, Kallar, Usar, Thur, Rakar, Karl
and Chopan.

♦ ~Note~
• Excessive irrigation with dry climatic conditions promotes capillary action,
which results in the deposition of salt on the top layer of the soil. In such areas,
especially in Punjab and Haryana, farmers are advised to add gypsum to solve
the problem of salinity in the soil.

Area Covered
• Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.
• Drier parts of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and
Maharashtra.

Composition
• Rich in - Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium
• Poor in - Nitrogen and calcium

Suitable Crops
• Salt-tolerant annual crops are barley and oat.
• Grain sorghum, sugar beets, Bermuda grass, tall wheat grass.

Peaty and Marshy Soils of India

Common Features
• Peaty soils originate in the areas of heavy rainfall and high humidity.
• Support good growth of vegetation.
 Types of Soil in India

• Huge quantity of dead organic matters are present in this soil.

• This offers a rich humus and organic content to the soil.
• Organic matter up to 40-50 per cent.
• Generally heavy and black (Deep Black) in colour.
• Peaty soil found in Kottayam and Alappuzha districts of Kerala known as
- Kari.

Area Covered
• Northern part of Bihar.
• Southern part of Uttarakhand.
• Coastal areas of West Bengal, Odisha and Tamil Nadu.

Composition
• Rich in - Organic Matter.
• Poor in - Potash and Phosphate.

Suitable Crops
• Mostly suitable for Paddy Cultivation.

Overview of the classification of soil as per Indian standard

Soil Name Location Rich in Deficient In
Alluvial Soil Indo- Gangetic Plain , Potash Nitrogen
River Valleys
Black Soil Deccan Plateau Lime, iron, Phosphorous,
[Maharashtra, magnesia nitrogen
Madhya Pradesh, and alumina. and organic matter
Telangana, Andhra potash
Pradesh,
Gujarat, Parts of
Tamil Nadu]
Red and Tamil Nadu, Parts of Iron Oxide Nitrogen,
Yellow Soil Karnataka, Phosphorous and
West Bengal Humus.
(Bankura, Birbhum)
Laterite soils Karnataka, Kerala, Iron Oxide, Organic matter,
Tamil Nadu, Madhya Potash Nitrogen,
Pradesh, Phosphate and
Calcium
Forest and Forest area of Humus Potash, Phosphorus,
Mountain Tamil Nadu , Kerala Lime
Soils Jammu & Kashmir ,
 Types of Soil in India

Himachal Pradesh
Uttarakhand
Arid and Rajasthan and Soluble Slats, Organic Matter
Desert Soil adjoining areas Alkline,
of Punjab and Calcium
Haryana Carbonate
Rann of Kutch
Saline Soil Gujarat, Uttar Salt of Calcium, Humus, Nitrogen
Pradesh Magnesium
Maharashtra, West sulphurous acid
Bengal and Sodium
and Rajasthan

Frequently Asked Questions on Classification of soil as per

Indian standard
Question1: What are the 8 types of soil in India?
Answer: List of the 8 major soil groups notified by ICAR
• Alluvial soils
• Black soils
• Red soils
• Laterite soils
• Forest and Mountain soils
• Arid and Desert soils
• Saline and Alkaline soils
• Marshy and Peaty soils

Question 2: Which soil is mainly found in India?

Answer: The Alluvial soils mainly found in India. It occupied an area of 45%.

Question 3: Which is the largest soil in India?

Answer: The Alluvia soil is the largest soil group in India.

Question 4: Which soil is best soil in India?

Answer: Alluvial soil is best due to high fertility. It contains enough organic
matter like Humus which supports easy pant growth.

Question 5: Highest percentage of soil in India?

Answer: Alluvial Soil
 Types of Soil in India

Question 6: Name the major types of soil in India?

Answer : As per ICAR the major types of soil in India are" Alluvial soils,
Black soils , Red soils, Laterite soils, Forest and Mountain soils, Arid and
Desert soils, Saline and Alkaline soils and Marshy and Peaty soils".

Question 7: Which types of soil found in Deccan plateau?

Answer: The Deccan plateau mostly covered by the Black soil or the regur
soil. Some part of the southern part of the Deccan plateau covered by the red
soil. Almost all the area of Tamil Nadu covered by this red soil. The Black soil
is suitable for the cultivation of Cotton.

Question 8: What are the types of alluvial soil found in India?

Answer: Two Types of Alluvial soil found in India. These are Khaddar and
Bhangar. Khaddar is the new alluvium soil formed by the deposition of fine
silts and Bhangar is the old alluvial soil formed away from the flood plains.

Question 9: In which state Laterite soil is found?

Answer: The Laterite soil found in the southern part of the Deccan plateau like
Kerala, Tami Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The Laterite soil suitable for the
cultivation of cashew nut.

Question 10: Which subject deals with the study of Soil?

Answer: Pedology is the subject deals with the study of soil.