NOTES ON SOIL

Types of
Soil

Alluvial Laterite
Black Soil Red Soil
Soil Soil

Name of Introduction Areas Characteristics Crops

Soil
1. Alluvial - Formed by 1. Inland: Plains of 1. Formed by deposition of river load along its Rice,
Soil sediments brought Indus, Ganga, course. wheat,
down by rivers. Brahmaputra. 2. Soils are coarse near the place of origin. These sugarcane
- Also known as Punjab and Sindh particles are large and non-uniform. Predominant , cotton,
riverine soil as it to Bangladesh and in piedmont plains (near foot of mountains). tobacco,
found mainly near Assam. Punjab, Particles become smaller and uniform down the gram and
river basins. Haryana, UP, course. Found up to 500 metres depth. oilseed.
- Mixture of sand, Bihar, WB. Cover 3. Alluvial soil of Upper Ganga Valley is dry, Useful for
clay and silt, known a part of Gujarat porous, sandy, faint yellow and consists of clay jute
as loam. and Rajasthan and organic matter. Soils of lower Ganga valley cultivation
- 40% of land area 2. Deltaic: Deltas of are more compact, less coarse and moister. in the
- Contribute the Ganga- 4. Light and porous, therefore easily tillable. lower
largest share to the Brahmaputra, 5. Fertile, rich in minerals, specially potash and Ganga-
agricultural wealth Mahanadi, lime. Brahmaput
of India. Godavari, 6. Deficient in nitrogen and humus, except the ra valley.
- Coastal plains and Krishna, and Ganga deltaic soil, which is rich in humus.
deltas. Cauvery. 7. Suitable for growth of Rabi and kharif crops.
3. Coastal: Tidal 8. More alkaline in drier areas.
origin. Coastal Khadar:
peninsular India. - Light in color
Gujarat plains. - Composed of newer deposit.
- More fertile than Bhangar
- New layers deposited year after year during monsoon
floods.
Bhangar:
-Older alluvium
-Composed of lime nodules(kanker)
-Less fertile
-Can be made fertile by use of manure.
2. Black - Residual soils - Deccan lava tract 1. Fine textured and clayey. -Cotton is
soil - Formed at their which includes 2. High quantities of lime, iron and magnesium. the main
(Regur place of origin over part of 3. Low quantities of Phosphorus, nitrogen and organic crop.
soil OR underlying rocks Maharashtra, MP, matter. Cereals,
black Gujarat, AP, GR:: Black in colour as it is formed from weathered jowar,
cotton Katakana , lava rocks oilseed,
soil) Rajasthan, UP, GR::Very clayey (up to 50%). Thus, it is highly tobacco,
parts of TN. retentive of water. Expand when wet because retentive sugarcane
and become difficult to plough. , wheat,
4. Shrink and crack in dry season to help in air vegetables,
circulation. gram.
5. Very fertile in most places.
6. It has moisture in its subsoil in any season.
 SAMPOORNA - X

3. Red soil - Develops on old - 2nd largest group. 1. It got its name from its colour Suitable
crystalline rocks. - Plateau region of 2. Porous, has high %age of iron oxide for almost
- Under rainfall, peninsular India 3. Generally shallow all crop
crystalline and - TN, Katakana, AP, 4. pH 6.6 to 8.0 types.
metamorphic rocks SE Maharashtra, 5. Loose and aerated Most
form these parts of Orissa, 6. Not fertile but responds to fertilizers. suitable for
- GR:: Red in colour Chhattisgarh, 7. Poor in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and humus. vegetables,
because they Jharkhand, 8. Needs irrigation and fertilizers for cultivation. rice, ragi,
contain a lot of iron Bundelkhand, 9. Contains small quantities of soluble soil. tobacco.
oxide Meghalaya, Groundnut
- They may even be Mizoram, Manipur, and
brown or grey in Nagaland. potatoes
some areas - Birbhum(WB), on coarse
Mirzapur, Jhansi, soils at
Banda, higher
Hamirpur(UP), level.
Udaipur, Sugarcane
Chittorgarh, on heavy
Dungarpur, clay at
Bhilwara(RJ) lower
- Practically circle level.
the black soil areas.
- Northwards in the
West along the
Konkan coast.
4. Laterite - Result of - Highland areas of - Coarse texture, soft, friable GR: Low
Soil atmospheric peninsular plateau - Red due to presence of iron oxide formed due to fertility
weathering of rocks especially summit leaching. Potash removed from top soil leaving due to high
under high of Sahyadris, alumina and iron oxide acidity and
temperature and eastern Ghats, - Porous. Silica removed by chemical action. Poor in low
rainfall with rajmahal hills, etc. lime, Mg and deficient in nitrogen moisture
alternate wet and dry in Eastern Part of - [GR]Does not retain moisture thus infertile. Suits only retention.
period peninsula special crops like tapioca, cashew nuts, etc Also due
- Residual soils - Patches in MP, - Acidic because alkalis are leached. to
- Formed by leaching Orissa, leaching.
(process of nutrients Maharashtra, Manuring
getting percolated Katakana, Bengal, can make
down due to heavy Andhra Pradesh, them
rainfall)[GR] Kerala, TM suitable for
- Also known as - Top slopes of ragi, rice,
desilication peninsular sugarcane
- Due to rain, lime & mountains, , paddy on
silica are leached western and lower
and Al compounds eastern Ghats elevations.
are left behind Tea,
- Humus content cinchona,
removed by bacteria rubber,
- 2 types: coffee on
i. Upland- Formed higher
over hills and elevations.
uplands
ii. Lowland- Upland
transported by
streams towards
lowland
 SAMPOORNA - X

Other Types of Soil

Mountain Soils
•Include peat, meadow, forest and hill soils
•Found in hilly mountainous regions

Desert Soils
•Arid sandy soils as well as wind blown loess
•Formed as result of wear and tear and mechanical weathering of rocks in deserts (hot dry climate)

Saline and Alkaline Soils

•High proportions of salts and alkalis
•Formed due to accumulation of tidal waters in areas adjoining coasts where drainage is poor

Marshy Soils
•Found in continuously water-logged areas especially in coastal regions
•They are formed as a result of water logging
•Contain varying amounts of organic matter

Soil Erosion

It is the removal of the top soil cover by water, wind and human activities. Humans are the main causes of soil erosion. Other
than man, soil erosion occurs due to droughts and floods.

Soil Erosion by Water

Sheet Gully Sea or Shore Stream Bank

Rill Erosion Leaching
Erosion Erosion Erosion Erosion

•Occurs on gentle •When sheet •Deep gullies are •After harvesting, •Tidal waters of •Streams and
slopes erosion made on soil farmers leave the the sea cause rivers change
•Slow removal of continued for during heavy soil bare damage to soil their courses by
a thin layer of long, silt laden downpour. •During rainfall along the coast cutting one bank
soil when runoff forms •It removes the nutrients are •The waves break and depositing
vegetation is many finger- nutrients and laeched or hanging cliff silt on the other
destroyed shaped rills or heavy load of percolated below rocks •During flash
•Rainwater grooves over a loose soils •Throughout floods, the
washes it away large area. making it eastern and damage is more
•Intermediate unproductive western coasts of •Prevalent in
stage between •Makes water India Ganga, Yamuna
sheet and gully muddy and other rivers
erosion •Seen in Chambal •UP, MP and
Valley Region R'jthan have
been
transformed into
ravines
 SAMPOORNA - X

Soil Erosion due to Human

Activities

India loses 47,500 hectares of Outer Himalayas, Western and

forest land This leads to sheet
erosion. Due to this, rills and
water runoff in heavy rain may
develop deep grooves leading to
Gully Erosion
Eastern Ghats are deforested.
Uncontrolled grazing of domestic
They also recieve heavy monsoon
animals also causes Sheet, Rill
rains. The removal of vegetation
and Gully erosion
has caused sheet, rill and gully
erosion.

Erosion by Wind

 It is the movement and deposition of soil particles by winds

 Occurs when soil devoid of vegetation is exposed to high speed wind
 It moves soil 0.1-0.5 mm in size by bouncing or hopping fashion (saltation) and those greater in a rolling fashion (soil
creep)
 Particles less than 0.1 mm detach into suspension
 Wind erosion is most visible in suspension as dust storms or as deposition along fence lines and across roads
 GR:: Wind Erosion reduces the productive capacity of soil as most nutrients required by plants are carried away by wind

Soil Erosion in India

Causes of Soil Erosion

Soil Erosion in India i. Heavy Population Pressure on Land:
- India has a rapidly increasing population and so has a pressure of feeding the entire population
- The heavy pressure on land is the cause of soil erosion
ii. Nature of Rainfall
- We receive 80-90% rainfall in the monsoon. Heavy rains also may cause floods
- In the remaining months droughts are frequent
- This affects the soil
iii. Overgrazing
- No. of cattle highest in the world
- This leads to the vegetation becoming bare
- This in turn leads to soil erosion by wind
- Rajasthan
iv. Bad Farming Techniques
- Poor farmers plough fields in the traditional way
- Leads to soil erosion on a large scale
- Absence of terracing, contour cultivation, crop rotation and improper use of manure have
caused serious problems in soil erosion
v. Topography
- Northeast India, Shiwaliks and hilly regions of South India are affected have steep slopes and
heavy rainfall
- This washes the soil down the slope and leads to soil erosion
vi. Deforestation