Booklet No.

396
Soil Science: SSS - 29
Contents
Preface
I. Introduction
II. Geographical Situation
Ill. Climate
IV. Physiography
V. Vegetation
VI. Major Soil Groups in India
1. Black soils
. !ed soils
". #aterites $ lateritic soils
%. &llu'ial soils
(. )esert soils
*. +arai soils
,. Bro-n hill soils
.. Su/0montane soils
1. Maintain meado- soils
12. Peaty and marshy soils
11. Saline and sodic soils
VII. Soils in &gro03cological !egions
VIII. )istri/ution of Soils in India.
Preface
4ational progress is dependent upon the rapid de'elopment of agriculture. &gricultural
production is mainly dependent upon the maintenance and impro'ement of soil producti'ity. So
farmers should /e educated to use lands according to their capa/ilities and to adopt proper soil
conser'ation measures. In 'ie- of this5 it is 'ery essential to impart kno-ledge a/out different
soils that are e6isting in their o-n country.
Dr. K. T. Chandy !"ric#lt#ral $ %n&iron'ental %d#cation
(. (ntrod#ction
Soil is a 'ital natural resource. +he soil and land form a precious finite heritage that -e
must use judiciously according to their potential to meet the demands of e'er gro-ing
population. People are dependent on soils and con'ersely5 good soils are dependent on people
and the use they make of the land. Soils are natural /odies in -hich plants gro- and they
pro'ide the starting point for successful agriculture. +o ensure optimum agricultural production
first it is imperati'e to kno- the /asic facts a/out our soil and then its management -ith
judicious use of fertili7er to achie'e high producti'ity. 8e kno- that ma6imum population in India
is depend on agriculture and is the /ase of agriculture. 4ature of soil differs from area to area
and so different types of soils that are seathered throughout the country need a detailed
description.
((. )eo"ra*hical Sit#ation
India has a geographical area of ",.% million hectares. +he su/0continent lies /et-een
.
o
9 ",
o
north latitude and *1
o
0 1"
o
east longitude. +he northern /oundary of the country has a
chain of :imalayas e6tending all along the northern side5 /ordering Pakistan on the -est and
Burma on the east. +he remaining south5 east and -est /orders are surrounded /y Indian
;cean5 Bay of Bengal< and &ra/ian sea respecti'ely.
(((. Cli'ate
+he climate of India is of monsoon type. +here are t-o distinct periods of rainfall in a
year5 'i7. the south0-est monsoon during the months of =une0Septem/er and the northeast
monsoon during the -inter months. +he climate is influenced /y the :imalayan mountains as
-ell as the Indian ocean5 the &ra/ian sea and Bay of Bengal. +he :imalayas o/struct the path
of entry of cold -inds from the north5 gi'ing a continental type of climate. +he seas produce a
hot monsoonic type of tropical climate.
+he rainfall is controlled /y topography as the high mountains lying across the path of
the monsoon -inds helps to precipitate their moisture as rain on the -ind-ard side. +herefore5
the -estern ghats and the &ssam ranges recei'e high rainfall of a/out more than 22 mm per
annum. &s the south0-est monsoon is deflected to-ards upper India /y the :imalayas5 the
Gangetic plains and Punja/ and :aryana recei'e good rainfall. +he moisture /earing -inds
from &ra/ian sea pass uno/structed o'er !ajasthan as the &ra'allies lie along their -ay. +his is
the cause of scanty rainfall in !ajasthan >around ( mm?annum@.
+he south0-est monsoon -ind enters India5 /oth from the &ra/ian sea and the Bay of
Bengal. +he &ra/ian sea /ranch is more important for South India. +he Bay of Bengal /ranch
/enefits the east coast and the northern oceans. +he south0-est monsoon is follo-ed /y the
north0east monsoon to-ards the end of Septem/er.
+he temperature is eAually 'aria/le like rainfall. Bsually the temperature rises continually
during the summer months >March to =une@. +he air temperature rises to a/out %(CC in the
north and north0-estern plains. +he high altitudes in the :imalayas and in the 4ilgiris ha'e lo-
temperature. +he mean annual temperature in the Indo0Gangetic plains is around % degree
centigrade. +he climate thus 'aries from e6treme aridity to high humidity and from scanty to
torrential rainfall. +he area /et-een latitudes 2
o
north and 2
o
south has /een considered
tropical.
(+. Physio"ra*hy
+he major physiographic di'isions of our country are descri/ed here.
,. Northern 'o#ntains
+hey co'er the -estern :imalayas >Dashmir5 :imachal Pradesh and Bttar Pradesh
regions@5 3astern :imalayas and &ssam0Burma ranges. +hey e6tend all along the northern
/oundary of the country. +hey stretch out in a series of parallel or occassional con'ergent
chains5 separated /y 'alleys or e6tensi'e platforms.
2. The "reat *lains
+hey consists of the Indus plains >!ajasthan and Punja/ plains@5 Ganga plains and the
Brahmaputra Valley. +hey occur /et-een the northem mountains and the peninsula.
3. The Penins#la
+his physiographic 7one consists of the central uplands5 )eccan plateau >Satpura
range@5 Maharashtra plateau5 Darnataka plateau5 +elangana plateau@5 eastern plateau
>Bhagelkhand plateau5 Chhotanagpur plateau5 Garhjat hills5 Mahanadi /asin5 )andakaranya
upland@5 -estern hills >4orth south and central Sahyadri and 4ilgiris@5 eastern hills >3astern
ghats5 +amilnadu upland@ and coastal plains >-est and east coastal plains@.
-. The islands
+he islands are small in land area5 consist of &ra/ian sea islands and Bay of Bengal
islands.
+. +e"etation
+he natural 'egetation of India has /een classified into fi'e major groups5 'i7 tropical
forests5 temperate forests5 su/0tropical forests and su/ alpine forests. Eorests occupy a/out 2
percent of the total geographical area of the country.
,. Tro*ical forests
Bnder tropical forests5 dry deciduous forests occupy more area almost along the entire
Indian peninsula >1., m.ha@ follo-ed /y moist deciduous forests5 >.% m. ha@5 -hich are
present in the foot hills of :imalayas5 east side of 8estern Ghats5 Chhotanagpur and Dhasi
hills. 8estern side of -estern Ghats5 upper &ssam and &ndamans are occupied /y e'er0green
and semi0e'ergreen forests >*.% m.ha@ and along the coast5 littoral and s-amp forests are
present. !ajasthan and adjoining areas ha'e thorny tropical forests >(. m. ha@ -hile Darnatic
coast ha'e dry e'er0green forests >2.1 m.ha@.
2. S#.-tro*ical forests
+hese forests are mostly pine forests occupying an area of "., m.ha in central and
-estern :imalayas5 and /road0 lea'ed hill forests >2." m.ha@ are in the lo-er :imalayas.
3. Te'*erate forests
Moist temperate forests are present in the central and -estern :imalayas >., m.ha@
-here as eastern :imalayas ha'e -et temperate forests >1.* m.ha@. Inner range of :imalayas
are occupied /y dry temperate forests >2. m.ha@.
-. S#.-al*ine forests
+hey occupy an area of 1.. m.ha and are present in the :imalayas a/o'e "222 mts
ele'ation.
&n innumera/le num/er of species are present in these forests from -hich multipurpose
products are produced. +he major forest products are -ood5 fi/re5 /am/oos5 essential oils5 oil
seeds5 tans and dyes5 gums and resins5 drugs5 spices5 insecticides5 edi/le products5 lac5 fodder
etc.
+(. /a0or Soil )ro#*s in (ndia
Volcker >1.1"@ and !eathee >1.1.@5 classified the Indian soils into Indo0gangetic
allu'ium5 /lack cotton5 red and laterite soils. #ater in 11%2s5 Indian &gricultural !esearch
Institute had set0up a soil0sur'ey committee -hich identified major soil groups in our country
that are sho-n in figure 4o.1.
,. Black soils
+he principal region of /lack soils is the )eccan plateau and its periphery e6tending from
.C%(<to *
o
north latitude and *.
o
to ."
o
%(< east longitude. +hey are formed from )eccan /asalt
trap rocks and occur in areas under the monsoon climate5 mostly of semi0arid and su/0humid
types. +he o'erall climate of /lack soil region may /e descri/ed as hot and dry summer5 %20122
cm rainfall per annum5 mild to moderate -inters and annual temperature ranges from %0"2
o
centigrade5 mean ma6imum temperature during &pril0May ranges from "*F%CC arid mean
minimum temperature during -inter ranges from 1(0%C centigrade. Semi0arid to su/0humid5
tropical to su/0tropical monsoon type climate -ith alternate dry and -et periods and calcification
>formation of calcium car/onate@ are fa'oura/le to the formation of /lack soils. +he soils are
characterised /y dark grey to /lack colour -ith "(0*2G clay5 neutral to slightly alkaline reaction5
high s-elling and shrinkage5 plasticity5 deep cracks during summer and poor status of organic
matter5 nitrogen and phosphorus. Impeded drainage and lo- permea/ility are the major
pro/lems. Black soils. are di'ided into shallo- /lack soil of a depth of "20(2 cms5 medium /lack
soils of (2012 cm and deep /lack soils of more than 12 centimeters. +he natural 'egetation
comprises dry deciduous species5 'i7 palas >Butes frondoss@5 sisam >)al/ergia sisu@5 neem
>&7adirachta indica@ and teak >+ectona grandis@. Cotton5 sugarcane5 groundnut5 millets5 mai7e5
pulses5 safflo-er are the common crops gro-n on these soils. Because of their inherent
drainage pro/lem5 they are prone to salinity and sodicity under irrigated conditions unless
proper drainage is ensured. Because of its high -ater retaining capacity5 rainfed crops like
minor millets5 pulses like horse gram are 'egeta/les of different types and citrus fruits can also
/e gro-n. +hese soils are also kno-n as regurs5 nullah regadi >a telugu -ord meaning /lack
clay@ and /lack cotton soils as cotton -as the major crop gro-n in these soils.
2. 1ed soils
+hese soils are deri'ed from granite5 gneiss and other metamorphic rocks. +hese soils
are formed under -ell drained condition. +he climate is semi0arid tropical -ith mean annual
temperature of (CC and mean annual rainfall from ,(0122 cm. +he soils are higher te6tured5
fria/le structure and contains lo- solu/le salts. +hey are slightly acidic to slightly alkaline5 -ell
drained -ith moderate permea/ility.
+hey are generally poor in nitrogen5 phosphorus5 lime5 humus etc. In this soil5 lime
concretions and free car/onates are a/sent. +he red colour is due to the higher degree of
hydration of the ferico6ide in the soils. ;n uplands5 they are gra'elly sandy or stony and porous
and light coloured on -hich food crops like /ajra can /e gro-n. ;n the lo-er plains and 'alleys5
they are dark5 coloured fertile loams5 irrigated crops like mai7e5 -heat5 pulses5 potatoes5 fruits5
millets etc can /e gro-n. +hese soils ha'e also /een found under forest 'egetation. Sometimes
they found along -ith /lack soils >side /y side@ and also yello- soils >red and yello- soils@.
36cessi'e gra'elliness5 surface crust formation and suscepti/ility to erosion due to high
slopes are some of the pro/lems in these soils -hich can /e o'ercome /y adopting suita/le
measures.
Morphologically the red soils can /e di'ided into red loams -hich ha'e a cloddy
structure and argillaceous soil and red earths -ith loose fria/le top soil rich in sesAuio6ide type
of minerals.
3. 2aterites and lateritic soils
#aterite is a geological term and means literally a rock. +he laterites and lateritic soils
ha'e /een loosely used in the same sense. +he lateritic soils are enriched -ith o6ides of iron
and aluminium5 under the conditions of high rainfall -ith alternate dry and -et periods. )uring
rainfall silica is leached do-n-ards and iron and aluminium o6ides remains in the top layers.
#aterites are usually shallo- and gra'elly at higher lands5 /ut are 'ery deep loam to clay
soils in the 'alleys -here good paddy crops are produced. :igher landy soils are poor in
nutrient status -here as lo-er le'el soils are dark and richer in nutrients and organic matter. &ll
lateritic soils are poor in calcium5 magnesium5 nitrogen5 phosphorus and potash. +hey are
generally -ell drained and porous. +he soil reaction is more on the acidic side.
;n laterites5 as already mentioned5 rice is gro-n at lo-er ele'ations and at higher
ele'ations5 tea5 coffee5 cinchona5 ru//er and cashe-nut can /e gro-n under good soil
management conditions. ;n the -hole5 laterites are poor in fertility and readily respond to
manuring and good culti'ation. Based on the climate lateritic soils are grouped into high rainfall
areas -ith strongly and -eakly e6pressed dry season and humid 7ones -ith pronounced dry $
-et periods.
-. !ll#&ial soils
&llu'ial soils5 co'er the largest area in India >appro6imately , lakh km@ and these are
the most important soils from agricultural point of 'ie-. +he main features of allu'ial soils ha'e
/een deri'ed as silt deposition laid do-n /y the Indian ri'er systems like the Indus5 the Ganges5
the Brahmaputra and the ri'ers like 4armada5 +aptiH Mahanadi5 Goda'ari5 Drishna and Cau'ery.
+hese ri'ers carry the products of -eathering of rocks constituting the mountains and deposit
them along their path as they flo- do-n the plain land to-ards the sea.
Geologically5 the allu'ium is di'ided into recent allu'ium -hich is kno-n as Dhadar and
old allu'ium5 as /hangar. +he ne-er allu'ium is sandy and light coloured -hereas older
allu'ium is more clayey5 dark coloured and contains lime concretions. +he soils ha'e a -ide
range in soil characteristics 'i7. acid to alkaline sandy to clay5 normal to saline5 sodic and
calcareous5 shallo- to 'ery deep. +he climate ranges from arid to humid su/0tropical.
+he follo-ing groupings of allu'ial soils may /e recognisedH allu'ial soils >Dhadar5
/hangar and highly calcareous@5 deltaic allu'ium5 coastal allu'ium5 coastal sands5 calcareous
sierocomic and grey0/ro-n soils.
a. !ll#&ial soils
+he allu'ial soils occuring in the Indo0Gangetic plains and the Brahmaputra 'alley co'er
a large area. +he soils are transported and deposited /y the ri'ers from the parent material. +he
ri'ers are the Ganga5 =amuna5 Brahmaputra and their tri/utaries. +he soils are deep and hard
pans in the su/soil are calcareous >made of calcium car/onate@ and acidic. +hese are deficient
in nitrogen5 phosphorous and humus5 /ut not in potash and lime. +hese soils are fertile amongst
all the soils of India. +hey produce a -ide 'ariety of crops like rice5 -heat5 sugarcane5 jute and
potato. +hey are distri/uted mainly in the northern5 north0-estern and north0eastern parts of our
country.
.. Deltaic all#&ial soils
+hey are formed from sediments carried /y ri'ers and deposited in the mouths of ri'ers
joining the sea. +he deltas of the Ganga5 Brahmaputra5 Mahanadi5 Goda'ari5 Drishna and
Cau'ery are the most important ones. In Gujarat5 the deltaic allu'ial soils -hich are sandy loam
to clay loam are locally called Goradu soils. +he Goda'ari and Drishna ri'ers pass through
/asaltic region ha'ing /lack soils and these soils are dark and fine te6tured. +he Cau'ery delta
soils are significantly clayey and Ganga delta soils sho- high accumulation of organic matter5 as
in the Sunder/ans of 8est Bengal5 due to s-ampy 'egetation. +hese soils are fertile and gro-
a -ide 'ariety of crops suited to climatic conditions.
c. Coastal all#&i#'
Soils de'eloped on coastal allu'ium are found along5 the sea coasts. Soils are dark
coloured5 coarse te6tured and poor in fertility. Some soils are saline due to the inundation of sea
-ater. Such soils in the Donkan coast of Maharashtra are called Dhar soils.
d. Coastal sands
Sandy soils occur prominently in the coastal area of +anja'ur district of +amil 4adu5
along the Derala coast5 Bapatla in Guntur distrjct of &ndhra Pradesh and Puri district in ;rissa. If
sandy soils are not saline5 plantation crops like coconut5 cashe- and casuarina can /e taken up
for culti'ation.
;ther soils under allu'ium are calcareous siero7omes and grey /ro-n soils. Calcareous
siero7omes can /e seen in the desertic region of :aryana and Punja/. +he -ord <siero7emI
denotes a group of soils ha'ing a /ro-nish0grey surface hori7on -ith a su/0layer of car/onates
-hich is de'eloped under mi6ed shru/ 'egetation in a0temperate to cool5 arid climate. Grey0
/ro-n soils as the name itself indicates its nature5 can /e found in5 desert soils of !ajasthan.
3. Desert soils
In the north0-estern part of India5 desert soils occur o'er an area of 2.1 million
hecta5res5 -hich includes a major part of !ajasthan5 south of :aryana and Punja/ and northern
part of Gujarat. !ainfall ranges from less than 12 cms to (2 cms5 mostly contri/uted during
monsoon season.
+he region consists of sand dunes and undulating sandy plains. +he temperature regime
is 'ery high throughout the year and a ma6imum of (20*2CC is recorded during summer. )ue to
high temperature organic0matter /uilt up is 'ery lo-.
+he soils in the plains are mostly deri'ed from allu'ium and are pale /ro-n to /ro-n to
yello- /ro-n and fine sandy to loamy fine sand and are structureless. +he clay contents lo-
and presence of alkaline earth car/onates is an important feature. +he nitrate nitrogen and
phosphorus makes the desert soils fertile and producti'e under proper moisture supply. By
increasing the -ater holding capacity5 the producti'ity of the soils can /e increased -hich
in'ol'es addition of organic matter and clay.
6. Tarai soils
+he -ord ItaraiI is a hindi -ord5 -hich means moist. +hus5 iJ is a -et regime ha'ing high
-ater ta/le. +arai soils are foot hii soils and e6tend in strips of 'arying -idths at the foot of
:imalayas in =ammu and Dashmir5 Bttar0Pradesh5 Bihar and 8est0Bengal.
Soils under the natural conditions are thickly 'egetated and s-ampy. Se'eral types of
grasses and trees from the nati'e 'egetation on remo'al of -hich the soils /ecome highly
producti'e.
+he soils are formed from the materials that are -ashed do-n /y the erosion of
mountains. +hey are allu'ial origin. :igh soil moisture content all through the year results in
lu6uriant 'egetation dominated /y tall grasses. +hey are neutral to slightly alkaline -ith
significant amounts of organic matter. +he te6ture 'aries from sandy loam to silty loam.
Generally5 these soils are fertile and /y pro'iding proper drainage5 the producti'ity can /e
increased.
4. Bro5n hill soils
+hese soils are formed under forests mainly in :imalayas and occur on the hills. +hey
are dark /ro-n5 loam to silty clay in te6ture and acidic to neutral in reaction5
6. S#.-'o#ntain soils
+he soils are formed in the su/0:imalayan region under coniferous forests5 &n annual
rainfall of 120( cm is recorded in this region. +his high rainfall is responsi/le for the
accumulation of organic matter5 a/sence of free lime and acidity of the soils.
9. /o#ntain 'eado5 soils
+hese soils occur at higher ele'ations in the :imalayas a/o'e the 7ones of tree gro-th.
+he soils are shallo- -ith mostly grass 'egetation.
,7. Peaty and 'arshy soils
Peaty soils are formed due to the accumulation of organic matter in humid regions. In
Derala5 these peaty soils are rich in solu/le salts -hich are kno-n as Dari soils. )uring the
monsoon season5 the soils get su/merged in -ater. Soon after the monsoon5 the -ater recedes
and rice culti'ation is taken up. +he soils are /lack clayey and highly acidic >due to sulphuric
acid@. +hey contain 120%2 percent organic matter.
Marshy soils occur on the coastal tracts of ;rissa5 in the Sunder/ans of 8est Bengal
and south0east coast of +amilnadu.
,,. Saline and sodic soils
+he soils are salt affected and unless and until reclamation measures are taken up5 the
soils cannot /ecome producti'e. In India5 around , million are salt affected distri/uted in
different states.
Saline soils are formed due to accumulation of solu/le salts -hich consists of chlorides
and sulphates of calcium and magnesium. 36cess salts can /e remo'ed /y leaching5 Sodic
soils ha'e high amounts of sodium and a/out " million hectares are affected /y this sodicity.
+hese soils can /e reclaimed /y adding ameadments like gypsum.
>Eor more details refer /ooklet 4o."1 on Saline and &lkali Soils@
+ll. Soils in !"ro- %colo"ical 1e"ions
Based on climate5 'egetation and crops5 India has /een di'ided into eight agro0
ecological regions. Soil groups in these regions are descri/ed here.
,. 8#'id 5estern 8i'alayan re"ion
+his region consists of =ammu and Dashmir5 :imachal Pradesh and the hill di'isions of
Dumaon and Garh-al of Bttar<pra5desh. +he climate 'aries from hot su/0humid tropical
temperate cold alpine and cold arid conditions.
Major soil groups are mountain meado-s >sandy loam and neutral to alkaline@5 su/0
montane meado-s >acidic and sandy 12 am@ and /ro-n hill soils >loam to silty loam in te6ture@.
2. 8#'id Ben"al-!ssa' .asin
+his region represents the Ganga0Brahmaputra allu'ial plain of allu'ium and deltaic
deposits. +he climate is hot5 humid and monsoon type -ith an annual rainfall of 20%22 cms.
)uring rainy season5 floods are common. Predominant soils are allu'ial5 red5 /ro-n hill and
coastal. Patches of salt affected soils can /e seen in the deltaic tracts.
3. 8#'id eastern 8i'alayan re"ion and Bay islands
+he states of Meghalaya5 Manipur5 +ripura5 4agaland5 &runachal Pradesh5 Mi7oram5
&ndaman and 4ico/ar islands constitute this region. )ominant soil groups are /ro-n hill5 red
and yello-5 allu'ial and laterite soils.
-. S#.-h#'id S#tle0-)an"a all#&ial *lains
Punja/ plains of Bttar Pradesh5 )elhi and Bihar comes under this region -ith e6tremes
of climate hot summer and cold -inter. Calcareous siero7omes in the south0-est5 reddish /ro-n
chestnut. in the su/0montane 7one5 allu'ial soils and patches of saline alkali soils are the major
soil groups.
3. S#.-h#'id to h#'id eastern and so#th eastern #*lands
;rissa5 &ndhra Pradesh and eastern Madhya Pradesh -hich are characteri7ed /y
undulating topography5 denuded hills and plateaus5 mature ri'er 'alleys constitute this region.
+he climate is tropical monsoonic and su/ humid to humid. +he predominant soil groups are
red5 /lack5 yello-5 red sandy5 laterite5 ri'erine allu'ial and coastal sandy allu'ials.
6. !rid 5estern *lains
Predominant soils are allu'ial5 grey0/ro-n allu'ial5 /lack5 desert5 saline and sodic
co'ering :aryana5 !ajasthan5 Gujarat and Bnion territory of )odra and 4agar :a'eli
characteri7ed /y allu'ial plains5 sandy plains5 sand dunes5 saline depressions -ith scanty
rainfall.
4. Se'i-arid la&a *latea# and central hi"hlands
+he region consists of Maharashtra5 -estern and central Madhya Pradesh5 Goa5 )aman
and )iu. +he climate is semi0arid -ith e6tremes of temperatures and 'aria/le rainfall. +he major
soil groups are allu'ial /lack and lateritic5 mi6ed red and /lack and yello- /ro-n soils.
6. 8#'id to se'i-arid 5estern "hats and Karnataka *latea#
+he region consists of Darnataka5 +amil 4adu5 Derala5 Pondicherry and #akshad-eep
islands. +he four important soil groups are /lack5 red5 lateritic and allu'ials.
+(((. Distri.#tion of Soils in (ndia
)ifferent types of soils in each state are mentioned in +a/le 4o.1.
+a/le 1 H Soils ;f India
Sl.4o Soil groups &rea
>M.ha@
)istri/ution in the states
1 !ed loamy 1." &P5 +45 D+5 D!5 MP5 ;5 !
!ed sandy "".2 +45 D+5 &P5 B5 8B
" #aterite 1".2 +45 D!5 D+5 &P5 G=5 ;5 M5 G5 &5 8B5 &4
% !ed $ yello- %2." MP5 ;5 B
( Shallo- /lack ".1 M
* Medium /lack %".2 M5 MP5 G=5 &P5 D+5 !
, )eep /lack 11. M5 &P5 D+5 MP5 G=5 !
. Mi6ed red $ /lack 1*. D+5 +45 M5 MP5 &P5 B
1 Coastal allu'ium (.% +45 D!5 D+5 &P5 M5 G5 8B5 &4
12 Coastal sands 2.%( ;5 +45 &P5 P;
11 )eltaic allu'ium ..,2 +45 &P5 ;5 8B
1 &llu'ial >!ecent $ old@ "(.*, BP5 P5 B5 8B5 &5 :5 &P5 G=5 =D5 :!5 MP5
!5 )
1" &llu'ial >Calcareous@ 1." BP5 B
1% Calcareous siero7emic %.( P5 :5 !
1( Grey /ro-n 12.1 G=5 !
1* )esert 1.. !5 G5 :
1, +arai .. BP5 B5 8B5 &4
1. Bro-n hill ..1 BP5 S5 :P5 G=5 =D5 D!5 P5 8B
11 Su/ montane ,.* BP5 =D5 :P
2 Mountain meado- (.1 =D
1 Saline and alkali 1., BP5 :5 P5 M5 D!5 +45 G=5 !
Peaty 2., D!5 8B
" Skeletal ,.1 MP
% Glaciers $ eternal
sno-
.1 BP5 =D
( ;thers %.1 0
Sym/ols for the states0 &40&ndaman $ 4ico/ar islandsK &P 0&ndhraPradeshK &0&ssamK
B0BiharK )0pelhiK G0GoaK G=0GujaratK :0:aryanaK :P0:imachal PradeshK =D0=ammu $ DashmirK
D+0DarnatakaK D!0DeralaK MP0Madhy PradeshK M0MaharashtraK ;0;risFaK P;0PondicherryK P0
Punja/K !0!ajasthanK +40 +amilnadaK BP0Bttar PradeshK 8B0 8est Bengal.
&ccording to these areas of distri/ution5 4ational Bureau of Soil Sur'ey and #and Bse
Planning classified the soils and a soil map of India -as prepared. &s the soil sur'ey
programme in the country still in process5 regions not co'ered /y soil sur'ey are not included in
the soil map. &fter this progress only5 a more accurate soil map of India -ill /e a'aila/le.
GGGGGGGGGG(