TYPES OF SOILS

Alluvial soil

• These are formed by the deposition of sediments by rivers.
• Alluvial soil occupies 1,500,000 sq. km.
• It is highly fertile.
• It helps for agricultural development.
• There are two types of alluvial soil – Khadar & Bhangar.
• Khadar – consistent in texture.
• Bhangar – consists of alkaline.
• Alluvial soil is rich in potash & humus.
• It is poor in phosphorus & Nitrogen.
• It is suitable for rice, wheat, sugarcane, cotton & Jute.
• It is mostly found in the plains like Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Orissa and Tamil Nadu.
• These soils cover 40% of the entire land area.
• It is a predominant in the valleys of Narmada, Mahanadi, Tapti, Cauvery and Godavari.

Black Soil

• Black soil is made up of volcanic rocks & lava flow.
• Black soil covers 540,000 sq. km.
• It has high clay content.
• It is highly moist retentive. It forms crack during dry season.
• Black soil is highly suitable for cotton growth. It is also called as Black cotton soil.
• It is rich in iron, lime, calcium, potash, aluminum and magnesium carbonates.
• It is poor in nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter.
• It is suitable for crops such as cotton, sugarcane, groundnut, millets, rice, wheat, oil seeds.
• Black soil is found in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu & Uttar Pradesh.

Red Soil

• Red soils are formed by weathering of ancient metamorphic rocks of Deccan plateau.
• More sandy and less clayey.
• It is rich in iron and small amount of Humus.
• It is poor in phosphorus, nitrogen & lime
• Red soil is slightly acidic & do not retain moisture
• It covers 350000 sq. km area.
• The red color of the soil is due to presence of iron oxide. When iron content is low it will be in yellow or brown color.
• Red soil is found in Tamil Nadu, South Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, eastern Rajasthan.
• Red soil is suitable for Ragi, Ground nut, Millet, Tobacco, Potato, Rice, wheat, Sugar cane.

Laterite soil

• Laterite soil is formed under the condition of heavy rainfall with alternate dry and wet season.
• Laterite soil is red in color based on the presence of iron compounds.
• This pedogenic regime is typical of areas having high temperature and high humidity.
• Laterite soil is poor in lime & deficient in nitrogen.
• It is high in phosphate content.
• Due to intensive leaching, this soil lacks fertility and is not appropriate for crop cultivation.
• It is suitable to plantation crops like tea, coffee, rubber and coconut.

Saline & Alkaline soils

• This soil is unproductive due to accumulation of salts (or) alkaline materials on the soil surface.
• This soil contains large portions of sodium, potassium & Magnesium. So they are poor & infertile, unfit for agriculture.
• It is also known as usara soil.
• This soil acquires more salt because of dry climate & Poor drainage.
• Saline and Alkaline soils are found Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab & Rajasthan
• This structure ranges from sands to loams.

Arid Soils:

• Arid soils are formed under dry climatic.
• These soils are present in the area where the annual rainfall is less than 50 cm.
• Desert soils are mostly friable and have very low moisture content.
• Arid soils are rich in phosphate & poor in nitrogen.
• In some parts of Rajasthan and Haryana, this soil is used for cultivation due to available irrigation.
• In Rajasthan & Haryana, this soil is used for cultivation of wheat, rice & millets.

Peaty & Marshy soils:

• These soils are formed under extremely humid conditions.
• This soil is found in areas of heavy rainfall, high humidity and where there is good growth of vegetation.
• Peary soil is found in Kerala.
• Marshy soil is found in Northern Bihar, coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Odisha, West Bengal & Uttar Pradesh.