THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY―III

INDIA―Soils in India
 The soil of India is rich and it produces varied vegetation. We broadly divide soils in India into six types:
Alluvial Soil
 Alluvial soil can be further subdivided into two types. Both these types of soil are different in their texture,
composition and fertility.
 The newer alluvium is a light friable loam made of a mixture of sand and silt. This is normally found in the
river valleys, floodplains and deltas.
 The older alluvium contains comparatively higher proportion of clay. This makes it stickier and reduces in
draining capacity. Almost all kind of crops can be grown in these soils. This is the soil that lies on the inter
fluves.
Black Soils (Regur)
 Black soil is found mainly in Deccan lava region. Large parts of Maharashtra are covered by this soil. In
addition, this soil is found in parts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil
Nadu.
 Black soil is formed by volcanic basaltic lava. This soil is rich in compounds of aluminium and iron which
provides it with its distinct black colour.
 The fertility of the soil allows this soil to be used for cotton cultivation even in areas with low irrigation and
rainfall. Besides cotton, this soil is also used for cultivation of crops like sugarcane, wheat, onion etc.
Red Soils
 Red soil is predominantly found in the Peninsular uplands. Parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa,
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Meghalaya etc. have this kind of soil.
 Red soil typically encircles the black soil zone.
 Compared to black and alluvial soils, red soil has less fertility. This in turn makes it less agriculturally
important.
 Cultivation in this soil requires use of both irrigation and fertilizers.
 Rice, millet, maize, groundnut, tobacco etc. are grown in this soil.
Laterite Soils
 This soil is predominantly found in the areas of high altitude which experience heavy rainfall. Parts of
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam and Meghalaya have this type of soil.
 Laterite soil covers more than 13 million hectares of land.
 Hot and humid climatic conditions encourage formation of this soil.
 Crops like rice, millets, sugarcane, rubber, coffee, tea etc. are grown in this soil.
Desert Soils
 This soil is found in deserts and semi-desertic conditions. This soil is marked by absence of water
availability for at least a period of six months. Western Rajasthan, Saurashtra, Kutchchh, western Haryana
and southern Punjab have this type of soil.
 The sand content in this soil is very high. It has poor organic matter and humus content. This soil is red or
light brown in colour.
 This soil is not suited for agriculture. Crops like cotton, rice and wheat can be grown in this soil if proper
doses of fertilisers and water are made available.
Mountain Soils
 These soils are complex and have large number of variations. It can range from deep alluvium soil to
immature residual gravelly soil.
 Large areas of homogenous soils are rarely found.
 Different regions with this soil have different crops grow in them due to the soil variety. Examples include
orchards, potato, rice etc.
Problem of Soil Erosion in India
 The extent and seriousness of soil erosion is dependent on number of physical and social factors.
 The main physical factors affecting soil erosion are rainfall, floods, composition of soil etc.
 Visible effects of soil erosion include ravines, gullies and landslides. These are the most widespread results
of soil erosion in India.
 Less visible effects of soil erosion include effects caused by sheet and wind erosions.
 The four major areas of ravines and gullies include are:
o Yumuna-Chambal ravine zone;
o Gujarat ravine zone;
 o The Punjab Siwalik foothills zone; and
o Chhotanagpur zone.
 The other areas with substantial ravine erosion include Mahanadi valley, upper Son valley, upper Narmada
and Tapi valleys, Siwalik and Bhabar in western Himalayan foothills etc.
 The area of widespread sheet erosion include Sutlej-Ganga plains, Coastal plains, Western Ghats,
NorthEastern hills etc.

INDIA―Natural Vegetation
 The term natural vegetation is used for describing the plant species that live in close association with each
other in a given environment.
 Temperature and rainfall variations influence the natural vegetation of any given area.
 Based on flower growing, India is divided into eight distinct regions of the western Himalayas, the eastern
Himalayas, Assam, the Indus plain, the Ganga plain, the Deccan, Malabar and the Andaman.
 Natural vegetation cover in India is normally divided into five major classifications.
Moist Tropical Evergreen Vegetation
This tropical evergreen vegetation is further divided into two categories
 The Wet Tropical Evergreen Vegetation is found in regions which experience rainfall in excess of 300
cmper year and which have limited dry seasons.
 Moist Tropical Semi-Evergreen Vegetation is found in areas that are between the areas with wet
evergreen vegetation and moist temperate deciduous vegetation.
Moist Tropical Deciduous Vegetation
This is the most common vegetation type in India. This is found in areas with annual rainfall between
100 and 200 cm.
Dry Tropical Vegetation
Dry tropical vegetation is further subdivided into two types:
 Dry Tropical Deciduous Vegetation is found in areas receiving annual rainfall between 70 and
100 cm.
 Dry Tropical Thorny Vegetation is found in areas where annual rainfall is less than 70 cm.
Tidal Vegetation
Tidal vegetation is mainly found in the deltaic regions of Ganga, Mahanadi, Godavari and Krishna.
The Mountain Vegetation
The mountain vegetation is further divided into four subtypes:
 The Mountain Vegetation of Peninsular Plateau: This vegetation is found in areas of high
altitude of plateau. The areas falling under this type of vegetation include Nilgiri, Annamalai and
Palni hills, Mahabaleshwar in Western Ghats, Satpura and Maikal hills.
 The Mountain Vegetation of the Himalayan Ranges:The Himalayan range is the largest
mountain range in the world. This vegetation in this area changes with the change in the altitude.
 Dry Temperate Vegetation:This type of mountain vegetation is found on the higher hilly slopes
of themountains that experience moderate temperatures and annual rainfall between 70 and 100
cm.
 Alpine Vegetation:This type of vegetation is found in areas having the altitude between 3000 and
4000 meters.
INDIA―Flora and Fauna
 Recent most data ranks India as 10th in the world and 4th in Asia in plant diversity.
 India is rich in flora and fauna. More than 47,000 species of plants have been described by the Botanical
Survey of India in the 70 percent of geographic area surveyed by it.
 Vascular flora alone has more than 15,000 species India. More than 35 percent of these species are endemic
in India.
 India has wealth of flowered and non-flowering plants.

INDIA―Crops in India
 Almost 23 percent (755 lakh hectares) of total Indian land area in India is under forest cover.
Approximately 55 percent of the total land area in India is under cultivation. Almost 65 percent of Indian
population is engaged in agricultural activities.
 India has two major crop seasons: Green Revolution
Kharif crops (linked with the monsoon): These crops are sown in Green revolution started in the 3rd Five
June or July and harvested in September or October. The main Year plan and continued over to the 4th
Kharif crops are Rice, Jowar, Bajra, Ragi, Maize, Cotton and Jute; Five Year Plan. The eight years of
and green revolution were the most
Rabicrops: These crops are sown in October or November and significant years for the growth of
harvested in April or May. Rabi corps include mustard, grams etc. agriculture in India.
These years saw use of High Yielding
 The Indian agriculture crops are also classified based on their
Variety (HYV) of seeds along with
characteristics. These classifications are: chemical fertilizers and irrigation for
Foods crops:Paddy, Wheat, Jawar, Bajara, Maize, and Ragi etc. boosting agriculture produce.
Pulses:Gram, Arahar, Pease, Black gram, and Lentil etc. This period also saw increased use of
Oil seeds:Groundnut, Mustard, Cottonseeds, Soyabean, Coconuts, pesticides and insecticides along with
and Sunflower etc. improved agricultural implements.
Beverages: Tea, Coffee, and Coco etc. These initiatives increased agricultural
Fibre crops: Cotton and Jute production and made India self-
Other crops: Sugarcane, Spices, Fruits, Vegetable, Floriculture, sufficient in terms of agriculture.These
achievements are known as Green
Rubber, and Tobacco etc.
Revolution.

Paddy

 Paddy is a tropical crop grown during Kharif season.

 India is the largest rice producers of the world after China. India accounts for almost 20 percent of the
world rice production.
 Approximately 23 percent of the total cropped area in India is under Agro-Climatic Regions of India
paddy. Based on climatic and natural
 Paddy is best grown in loamy or clayey types of soil. vegetation variations India is divided
 Areas with annual rainfall of more than 125 cm and temperature into 15 Agro-climatic regions.
between 20º -25º C are best for growing paddy. 1. The North-Western Himalaya
 Growing of paddy requires adequate irrigation in areas with annual 2. The North-East Himalaya
rainfall of 125 cm or less. 3. The Lower Ganga Plain
 Approximately 51 percent of rice producing area in India is under 4. The Middle Ganga Plain
irrigation. 5. The Upper Ganga Plain
6. The Trans Ganga plain (Punjab
 Leading rice producing states of India are West Bengal, Uttar plains)
Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Orissa and 7. The Eastern Plateau and hills
Assam. 8. The Central Plateau and hills
 Andhra Pradesh is the largest producer of rice in India. 9. The Western Plateau and hills
 Punjab is the largest contributor of rice to the Public Distribution 10. The Southern Plateau and hills
System. 11. The East Coast Plains and hills
12. The West Coast Plains and Ghats
13. The Gujarat Plains and hills
Wheat 14. The Western Dry Region
15. The Islands
 Wheat is a subtropical crop grown during the rabi season in India.
 Approximately 13 percent of the total cropped area in India is under wheat cultivation.
 Cool weather along with moderate rainfall are best for growing wheat.
 Wheat grows best in loamy soil.
 Major wheat producing states in India are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana.
 These three states account for almost 60 percent of the total area under wheat cultivation and almost 75
percent of total annual wheat production.

Tea

 India is one of the leading producers and consumers of tea in the world.
 Export of tea helps India in earning significant amount of foreign exchange.
 Mountain slopes with annual rainfall of more than 150 cm are ideal for growing tea.
 Tea plantation require loamy soil rich in humus.
 Wheat Bengal and Assam are the major tea producing states of India.
 Tea is also cultivated in the Annamalai and the Nilgiri hills in South India.
 Limited quality of tea is produced in Kumaon hill. Uttarakhand and Kangra valley, Himanchal Pradesh.
Cotton

 India is one of the leading cotton producers of the world.

 Textile industry use cotton fibre as raw material.
 Oil industry use cotton seeds as raw material.
 Cotton seeds are also used as a cattle feed in many parts of India.

Sugarcane

 Sugarcane is one of the plants that is native to India.

 India has the largest area under Sugarcane in the world.
 Sugarcane grows best in hot and humid climate .
 Sugarcane is best grown in fertile loams and black soils.
 India has two major belts of sugar growing states:
o Northern Belt: This ranges from Punjab to Bihar and account for more than 60 percent of the land
under sugarcane cultivation.
o Peninsular India: This range from Gujarat to Tamil Nadu. The yield per hectare is higher in this belt.

Spices

 India is producer of a wide variety of spices black pepper, cardamom, chillies, turmeric, ginger, cloves etc.
 India was known for the quality of it spices since ancient time.
 Chilly is the most important spice crop in India. It accounts for 34 percent of the total spice production in
India.
 Major chilly growing states of India are Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
 Turmeric is the second most import spice crop in India.
 Major turmeric growing states in India are Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Orrisa and Bihar.
 Cloves, black pepper, ginger, cardamom etc. are produced in the largest quantity in Kerala.
Production of Food-grain and other Major Crops (in Million Tons)
CROP SEASON 2015―16 2016―17 2017―18*
Rice Kharif 91.4 96.3 96.4
Rabi 12.0 13.4 15.1
TOTAL 104.4 109.7 111.5
Wheat Rabi 92.3 98.5 98.6
Coarse Cereals Kharif 28.2 32.4 33.3
Rabi 10.4 11.3 11.5
TOTAL 38.5 43.8 44.9
Total Cereals Kharif 119.6 128.7 129.7
Rabi 115.7 123.2 125.3
TOTAL 235.2 252.0 255.0
Pulses Kharif 5.5 9.6 9.0
Rabi 10.8 13.6 15.5
TOTAL 16.4 23.1 24.5
Foodgrains Kharif 125.1 138.3 138.7
Rabi 126.5 136.8 140.8
TOTAL 251.6 275.1 279.5
Oilseeds Kharif 16.7 21.5 20.7
Rabi 8.6 9.8 10.0
TOTAL 25.3 31.3 30.6
Sugarcane TOTAL 348.4 306.1 355.1
Cotton** TOTAL 30.0 32.6 34.9
Jute and Mesta# TOTAL 10.5 11.0 10.6
*Advanced Estimates/**millions bales of 170 kgs each # million bales of 180 kgs each.

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