Topic-1

Types of Soils, Distribution, Types of Soils, Distribution,

Composition and
Composition and Characteristics Page No. 56
Topic-1 Characteristics Topic-2
Soil Erosion: Causes,
Concepts Covered  Alluvial Soil  Black Soil Red Prevention and Conservation
Soil  Laterite Soil Page No. 61

Revision Notes
¾¾ Soil is the uppermost thin layer of the earth’s crust, (NPK), contains organic matter and has sufficient
made up of organic matter, minerals and weathered depth to enable the plants to grow roots.
rocks, covering the earth surface. ¾¾ Depending on the process of formation, soil can
¾¾ The process of soil formation is known as be categorised into- Residual or Sedentary soil and
Pedogenesis. Transported soil.
¾¾ Different sources of nature like changing temperature, Scan to know more
¾¾ Residual soil is formed ‘in-situ’ about this topic
running water and wind affect the formation of soil.
that is formed where it is found
¾¾ Soil is formed by a process called Weathering, where a
in its original position by the
parent rock material breaks down or wears and tears.
breaking up of parent rocks,
¾¾ Humus (decomposed vegetal and animal remains) SOIL-Different
e.g., black soil, red soil, laterite types and the
is the main constituent of soil. Silica, clay and sand importance of soil
soil, etc.
are also other constituents of soil.
¾¾ Soil that are transported through various agents of
¾¾ Soil fertility refers to the ability of soil to support
soil erosion like wind and running water is called
plant life.
transported soil, e.g., Alluvial soil.
¾¾ The important features of soil fertility is that it
contains adequate amount of moisture, is rich in ¾¾ Soil is classified into the following types: Alluvial
nutrients like Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium soil, black soil, red soil and laterite soil.
 Areas Where
Name of the
Formation Crops Grown Characteristics the Soils Are
Soil
Found
1. Alluvial Soil Transported -Wheat (1) It is of two types- Bhangar (Old -Uttar Pradesh
(also called soil by the -Rice Alluvium) and Khadar (New -Punjab
Riverine deposition -Sugarcane Alluvium). -Haryana
soil) of silts and -Oil Seeds (2) It is porous and is coarse in the -Jharkhand
sediments upper region and fine in the lower -Bihar
brought down region. -West Bengal
by the rivers. (3) Rich in potash and lime but
deficient in nitrogen, phosphoric
acid and humus (except the
alluvium in the Ganga deltaic
region which is rich in humus).
(4) The colour of the alluvial soil varies
from light grey to ash grey. Its
shades depend on the depth of
the deposition, the texture of the
materials, and the time taken for
attaining maturity.
2. Black Soil In-situ or -Cotton (1) It is fine textured. -Maharashtra
(also called residual soil by -Sugarcane (2) Clayey in nature. -Gujarat
Regur soil the weathering -Jowar (3) Its moisture retentive and becomes -Madhya
or Black of volcanic rocks -Wheat sticky when wet and forms crack Pradesh
Cotton soil) or igneous rocks -Oil seeds when dry. -Andhra
(4) Rich in lime, magnesium and iron. Pradesh
(5)  Poor in phosphorous, nitrogen and -Karnataka
organic matter.
(6) These soils are black in colour.
3. Red Soil In-situ or -Rice (1) It is porous, friable and coarse. -Tamil Nadu
residual soil by -Cotton (2) It does not retain moisture. -Goa
the weathering -Pulses (3) Rich in iron and potash. -Karnataka
of old hard -Can be grown (4) Deficient in lime, nitrogen, -Odisha
Crystalline and by using phosphorous and humus. -Meghalaya
Metamorphic fertilisers (5) Responds to manure or fertilisers.
rocks (6) Does not get water logged.
(7) It is red in colour due to the
presence of iron oxides.
4. Laterite Soil Formed in-situ -Tea (1) Highly acidic in nature. -Summits of
as a result -Coffee (2) It is porous and coarse. Eastern Ghats
of leaching -Rubber (3) Rich in iron. and Western
under typical -Cashew (4) Poor in silica, lime, nitrogen and Ghats
monsoonal -Tapioca humus. -Andhra
conditions -Millets (5) Red in colour. Pradesh
with high -Tamil Nadu
temperature -West Bengal
and heavy -Odisha
rainfall with -Assam
alternating wet
and dry spells.

Bhangar Soil Khadar Soil

1. Older alluvium soil. 1. Newer alluvium soil.
2. It is found above the flood levels of rivers and is of 2. It lies below the flood levels.
a terrace like structure.
3. This soil is dark in colour and composed of lime 3. It is light in colour and is composed of newer
nodules or kankar and has a coarse material. deposits like silt and clay, so fine grained.
4. It is less fertile. 4. It is very fertile.
 Soil Erosion-Causes, Prevention and Conservation
Topic-2 Concepts Covered  Types of Erosions: Gully, Sheet, Rill, Stream Bank, Shore and Slip
 Leaching  Shelter Belts  Soil Conservation Measures

Revision Notes
¾¾ Soil erosion is the removal of the top layer of fertile ¾¾ Wind erosion takes place where there is less or no
soil by wind, water and human activities. vegetation due to high velocity/strong movement of
¾¾ Soil erosion caused by running water are– winds.
(i) Sheet erosion: Large quantity of water flow in ¾¾ When wind moves soil particles Scan to know more
form of sheets that removes the thin layer of top about this topic
of 0.1–0.5 mm in size in bouncing
soil along with vegetation covers or due to heavy or hopping way, it is known as
rainfall and thus, erosion of soil takes place over Saltation while those which are
extensive areas. greater than 0.5 mm and moves
(ii) Rill erosion: Due to prolonged sheet erosion in by rolling are called Soil Creep. Causes of Soil
the second stage, finger shaped grooves or rills are ¾¾ In the process of Saltation, the Erosion
formed over a large area, which is known as Rill particles less than 0.1 mm or the
erosion. finer ones gets separated and transported to the
(iii) Gully erosion: Removal of clayey soil along drainage long distances until the wind speed decreases. This
lines by running water and making deep channels is called Suspension.
that erodes soil mostly in hillsides after deforestation
¾¾ Large scale deforestation by man has been witnessed
and over grazing.
in the Outer Himalayas, the Western and Eastern
(iv) Stream bank erosion: The streams and rivers
Ghats for various land use like constructing railway
change their course by cutting their banks, thereby,
lines, roads, buildings etc.
depositing the silt loads.
¾¾ The uncontrolled grazing of domestic animals is an
(v) Shore erosion: The powerful waves of the tidal waters
important factor for causing Sheet, Gully and Rill
of the sea damage and destroy the coastal areas.
erosion.
(vi) Slip erosion: During heavy rains, when the water is
unable to penetrate into the soil by the underlying ¾¾ In India, soil erosion occurs due to the following
impervious rocks, causes the heavy moisture-laden causes–
soil to come down from the steep land. This process (i) Increasing population
is called the Slip erosion. Sometimes, it results in a (ii) Erratic nature of rainfall
landslide. (iii) Overgrazing by domestic animals
(iv) Faulty techniques of farming (d) Strip cropping: In this system, large fields are divided
(v) Topography of the region in strips and grass is grown between the crops which
(vi) Deforestation reduces wind velocity and protects the top soil from
¾¾ The Indian states which are highly prone to soil erosion erosion.
are Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar (e) Shelter belts: When trees are planted in rows to
Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. create shelters along sand dunes, these rows are called
¾¾ Soil is an essential resource for agriculture. It shelter belts. They help stabilising sand dunes and
recycles organic wastes and provides nutrients to prevent the desert to extend into land available for
the vegetation grown. It also influences the global farming.
climate. Therefore, soil conservation is required
¾¾ In India, the government has taken special measures
for the sustainable development of the country.
for soil conservation–
¾¾ Soil conservation is the effort made by man to
prevent loss of soil from erosion or reduced fertility (i) If this is not name of a scheme it should be: A scheme
caused by over usage. for integrated watershed management. Same for
¾¾ Measures to prevent soil erosion: the options below. (It should not be in title case)
(i) Afforestation and Re-afforestation: Afforestation (ii) Scheme for reclamation and development of ravine
means establishment of a forest or stand of trees areas.
in an area where there was no previous tree cover. (iii) Scheme for control of shifting cultivation.
Re-afforestation is planting of trees in lieu of the
(iv) National Project on Development and use of Bio-
number of trees being cut adopting the ratio 2:1.
Because of this, the roots of trees and plants hold fertilisers and National Project on Quality Control
the soil together, reducing the speed of running implemented.
water, enabling water to get absorbed in the soil. (v) Rainwater Harvesting.
Trees also reduces the force of winds, preventing
the blowing away of soil particles.
(ii) Restricted grazing of animals: Animals should be
spread out to different pastures and fodder crops
should be grown in large quantity.
(iii) Construction of dams: Apart from checking the
speed of river water and controlling river floods,
construction of dams also saves soil erosion.
(iv) Proper farming techniques–
(a) Crop rotation: It is a system of farming in which farmers
grow crops cyclically to minimise consumption of
particular nutrients from the soil, thus maintaining
fertility of the land.
(b) Contour ploughing: Contours act like bunds.
Ploughing along contours across the slope of the
land prevents soil being washed away by rainwater
or by surface run-off.
(c) Terrace farming: Hill slopes are cut into a number
of terraces having horizontal top and steep slopes
on the back and front. It is a very effective and one
of the oldest methods of soil conservation.