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SOIL-Resources And Development

The document discusses the importance of soil as a renewable resource and its role in supporting plant growth and living organisms. It outlines the factors responsible for soil formation, various types of soil in India, their properties, and the impact of soil erosion caused by human activities and natural forces. Additionally, it highlights soil conservation techniques such as contour ploughing, terrace farming, and shelter belts to mitigate erosion.

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sejalc1248
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SOIL-Resources And Development

The document discusses the importance of soil as a renewable resource and its role in supporting plant growth and living organisms. It outlines the factors responsible for soil formation, various types of soil in India, their properties, and the impact of soil erosion caused by human activities and natural forces. Additionally, it highlights soil conservation techniques such as contour ploughing, terrace farming, and shelter belts to mitigate erosion.

Uploaded by

sejalc1248
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 PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Resources And Development

Soil Resources
IMPORTANCE OF SOIL:

•Soil is the most important renewable resource.


•It is the medium of plant growth.
•It supports different types of living organisms on the earth.
•Soil is a living system.
FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR SOIL FORMATION:

•Relief
•Parent rock or bed rock
•Climate
•Vegetation & other forms of life
•Time
VARIOUS FORMS OF NATURE RESPONSIBLE FOR SOIL FORMATION

• Change in temperature.
• Actions of running water.
• Wind & glaciers.
• Activities of decomposers.
• Chemical & organic changes.
•

GIVE THE CLASSIFICATION OF SOIL


On the basis of factors responsible for soil formation colour, thickness, texture, age, chemical &
physical properties, the soil of India can be classified in different types.

Alluvial Soil

• Property: Alluvial soils 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. Due to its high fertility, regions of alluvial soils are
intensively cultivated and densely populated. Soils in the drier areas are more alkaline and can
be productive after proper treatment and irrigation.
• Spread in India: These have been deposited by three important Himalayan river systems–
the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. These soils also extend in Rajasthan and Gujarat
through a narrow corridor. Alluvial soil is also found in the eastern coastal plains particularly
in the deltas of the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri rivers.

Types of Alluvial Soil: Reaches of the river valley i.e. near the place of the break of slope, the soils
are coarse. Such soils are more common in piedmont plains such as Duars, Chos and Terai.
Types as Per Age of Soil:

• Bangar: Old Alluvial Soil


• Khadar: New Alluvial Soil
Black Soil (Regur Soil):
• Property: The black soils are made up of extremely fine i.e. clayey material. They are well-
known for their capacity to hold moisture. In addition, they are rich in soil nutrients, such as
calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime. These soils are generally poor in phosphoric
contents. They develop deep cracks during hot weather, which helps in the proper aeration of
the soil. These soils are sticky when wet and difficult to work on unless tilled immediately
after the first shower or during the pre-monsoon period.
• Spread: This type of soil is typical of the Deccan trap (Basalt) region spread over northwest
Deccan plateau and is made up of lava flows. They cover the plateaus of Maharashtra,
Saurashtra, The alluvial soil consists of various proportions of sand, silt and clay. As we
move inlands towards the river valleys, soil particles appear somewhat bigger in size. In the
upper Malwa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and extend in the south east direction along
the Godavari and the Krishna valleys.

Ideal Crop: Cotton hence another name black cotton soil.


Red and Yellow Soil

• Property: These soils have red colour due to diffusion of iron in crystalline and metamorphic
rocks. It looks yellow when it is found in hydrated form.

• Spread: Parts of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, southern parts of the middle Ganga plain and along the
piedmont zone of the Western Ghats.
Laterite Soil

• Property: Laterite has been derived from the Latin word ‘later’ which means brick. 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 manures and
fertilizers.

• Spread: Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and the hilly areas of Orissa and
Assam.
• Crop: 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.
Arid Soil
Features of Arid Soils

• They range from red to brown in colours.


• They are generally sandy in texture and saline in nature.
• In some area salt content is so high that common salt is obtained by evaporating the water.
• Due to dry climate, high temperature evaporation is faster and the soil lacks humus &
moisture.

• In lower regions soil has Kankar in it because of the increasing calcium content.
• It restricts the infiltration of water.
• After proper irrigation these soils become cultivable, as it is done in western Rajasthan.
Forest Soil
Features of Forest Soil

• These soils are found in the hilly areas with rain forests.
• Soil texture varies according to the mountain environment.
• They are loamy & silty in valley sides.
• They are coarse grained in the upper slopes.
• In the snow-covered areas of Himalayas, they experience denudation and are acidic with low
humus content.
• The soils are formed in the lower parts of the valley on the river terraces and alluvial fans are
fertile.
Soil Erosion
The denudation of soil cover and subsequent washing down is described as soil erosion.
Causes of Soil Erosion:

• Human activities like deforestation, over-grazing, construction and mining.


• Defective methods of farming.
• Ploughing in a wrong like up and down the slope forms channels makes way for quick flow of
water. This leads to soil erosion. way etc. disturb this balance. Natural forces like wind,
glacier and water lead to soil erosion.
• Sometimes water flows as a sheet over large areas down a slope. In such cases the top soil is
washed away. This is known as sheet erosion.
• Wind blows loose soil off flat or sloping land known as wind erosion.

Effects:

• Makes land unsuitable for cultivation.


• Land so developed is called bad lands, in the Chambal basin they are known as ravines.
Various types of Soil Erosion:
Gullies: The running water cuts through the clayey soils and makes deep channels
called gullies.

• Bad Lands: When the land becomes unfit for cultivation, it is called Bad Lands. Eg. ravires
in Chambal
• Sheet Erosion: Sometimes water flows as a sheet over large areas down a slope. In such
cases the top soil is washed away. It is called sheet erosion.
• Wind Erosion: wind blows loose soil off flat or sloping land is called wind erosion.
Soil Conservation

• Contour Ploughing: Ploughing along the contour lines can decelerate the flow of water
down the slopes.
• Terrace Farming: Steps can be cut out on the slopes making terraces to restrict erosion.
Western and central Himalayas have well developed terrace farming.
• Strip Cropping: Large fields can be divided into strips. Strips of grass are left to grow
between the crops. This breaks up the force of the wind.
• Shelter Belts: Planting lines of trees to create shelter also works in a similar way. Rows of
such These shelter belts have contributed significantly to the stabilization of sand dunes and
in stabilizing the desert in western India.

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