SOILS OF INDIA

SOILS OF INDIA

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1. Alluvial Soil

• Formed by deposition of sediments by rivers.
• Rich in Humus and fertile
• Found in Great Northern Plain, Northern Gujarat, Lower valleys of Narmada and Tapti
• Soils renewed every year.

2. Black Soils

• Made up of lava and volcanic rocks.
• Concentrated over Deccan Lava Tract covering Chattisgarh, Parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
• Contains lime, iron, magnesium and potash
• Lacks phosphorous, nitrogen and organic matter

3. Red Soils

• Formed due to weathering of ancient metamorphic rocks of Deccan Plateau
• Red colour is due to iron composition
• Yellow or Brown if iron content is low.
• Found in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and parts of Orissa

4. Mountain Soils

• Formed as a result of accumulation of organic matter derived from forest growth.
• Largely found in Himalayan region or other high altitude regions
• Tea is grown in those areas since these regions receive sufficient rainfall.

5. Laterite Soils

• Soils formed due to intense leaching on the summits of hills and uplands.
• Commonly found in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh and hilly areas of Orissa and Assam.

6. Desert Soils

• Soil not well developed. 
• High salt content, saline layer forms a hard crust
• Sandy and organic matter absent.
• Desert regions of Rajasthan.

7. Saline and Alkaline soils

• Forms due to little more rainfall in desert soil regions
• Shows white incrustation of salts of calcium, sodium and magnesium.
• Infertile and poor in drainage

8. Forest and Hill Soils

• Found at lower as well as at higher elevations, where rain fall is sufficient.
• Soil is shallow, steep, stony and infertile for crop production.
• Good for Timber and other trees which provide fuel.

9. Peaty and Marshy Soils

• Mostly found in Kerala, Sunderbans of West Bengal, Coastal regions of Orissa.
• Vegetation growing in wet places dies, its slow decomposition over hundreds of years form layers of marshy and peaty soils.
• Black coloured, acidic soil and fertile for paddy/rice crops.