Types of soils (alluvial, black, red and laterite), Buriston composition and characteristics such ‘as colour, texture, minerals and crops associated. Soil Erosion—causes, prevention and conservation ‘Soil Resources ¢ mixture of small rock Soil is’ the thin layer of loo: Particles and rotting organic matter that covers the surface of the earth. Jt supports forests, grasslands fand crops from which all living creatures on earth derive their energy. Various forces of nature such as changing temperature, running water and wind affect formation ‘of soil. These forces of nature along with the chemical ‘and organic changes that take place in the soil contribute to the evolution of soil. Thus soil itself, has evolved over millions of years. Faulty agricultural practices, overgrazing and deforestation lead to soil erosion. Improved agricultural practices, reduced pressure of grazing and afforestation can help in the conservation of soils. Constituents of Soil are derived from parent rock material through ‘@ process of breakup or wear and teai(Decomposed vegetal and animal remains, called “humus, is an important constituent of soil and adds to the fertility of the soil) Besides humus, silica, clay and sand are the other constituents of soil. GHAe TER. 8 Soil Resources Soil Fertility Soil fertility support plant | t characteristic (if Tt contains adequate amo supply es nutrie fiif'It has sufficient depth to er grow their root (iit) It is rich in nutrie and pot plant nouris (ivyIt contains organic 1 structure of soil Soil fertility can be imp nutrients in the form SOIL CLASSIFICATION According-to its locatior “ti! Residual or Sedimentary Soil: that is, they are are formed ‘in situ fo. original position by the breaking up They have a well defined soil profi black soil, red soil, laterite soil, des These soils a (ii) Transported Soil: that is, transported by various consist of sediments carried and and winds) Hence they do not hav soil profile. Alluvial soils are transpor India is a vast region with varied natural We find several physiographic regionsPee fopes of climate, Therefore, a number of soil types {he developed ere. ‘on the basis of their origin, colour, composition an fn the soil of India have been classified {nto the following types: 1, ALLUVIAL SOIL thio armed yt ae Gers resultant alluvial soil is also known as riverine “Soil because it is mainly found in the river basins. ‘sand, clay and silt, called loam.) Tn India aos) soils have been deposited by three’ — the Indus, the Ganga and This soil occupies 40per cent of the entire Northern Plains are made up @il {it is also predominant in coastal plains ly in the deltas of the Mahanadi, the Krishna and the Kaveri rivers.) basis of its age, the diments brought d in de ighin chemical ingredients,(The rivers Particles of soil called alluvium in plains during the course of their long journey!) nodules or he khadar is, yur and is composed of newer deposits) Gq (Bhadar i is more fertile than bhanger soil as new layers are deposited year after year during monsoon fioods)) Crops can be grown on old alluvial soil by using manure! It forms the largest and most Foy group as it contributes the largest share — wealth of India. | uvium: It is found on the plains of d the Brahmaputra rivers, luvial soil is of. bhangar or Bangladesh and Assam (India). Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal have alluvial soil This soil type also covers a part of Gujarat and a few patches in Rajasthan.) a. ic AU n: The Deltaic alluvium is found in the deltas of the Ganga-Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri rivers c : It is of tidal origin. It is found in the coastal strips of Peninsular India. It is also found in the plains of Gujarat ch Cofour: The colour of the alluvial soil varies from lightigrey to deep black. Its shades depend on the depth of deposition, the texture of the materials and the time taken for maturity IE Te lluvial soil is formed by the deposition of the river load as it flows from its upper to its lower course, n the upper reaches of the river valleys (near the plate of their origin) the soil is dry, coarse, porous and sandy. It consists of clay and organic matter. Soil particles are large and non-uniform. Such soil is ) predominant ip piedmont plains (plains near the foot of mountains) JAs we move further down a river valley, the soil particles become smaller and more uniform, ‘They are more compact, less compact and more moist. ‘They are found upto a depth of 500 metres AMiner yu Alluvial soil varies in nature from sandy loam to clay Itis a fertile soil_as it is rich in minerals, especially {op,. magnesia, alumina, potash and lime but poor in Phosphorous; nitrogen and organic matter It is deficient in nitrogen and humus| except the alluvium of the Ganga deltaic region which is rich pea humus. | Inthe’drier areas, it is more alkaline partner | Bhangar, occupy the|* The area in northern plains that les below food Is of rivers and|* Khadar is younger alluvium as flood waters deposit levels is made up of Khadar. new layers every year. * It is formed of fine silt and clay. * Khadar is very fertile and ideal for intensive(ee BLACKS RED AND YELLOWSOL BB verre sot Soil Distribution is light and porous and therefore, and is suitable for cotton cultivation, Th is suitable for of a large the residual soil, ie,, it is formed at the c " origin over the underlying rocks Since it the denudation of volcanic rocks, it is alse as lava sat) Distribution The Regur soils are concentrated over the Deca tract which include parts of Maharashtra, M jarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karna\ak ‘Some parts-of Tamil Nadu.of Regur (Black) Soil dk in_colour as it is plheliis Be Sestsred sid clayey in nature (up content) and, therefore, highly retentive of ‘of high clay content, this soil expands and becomes difficult to plough. During the dep season, it shrinks and develops big cracks which help in air circulation’) This characteristic causes a fund of Selfsploughing{(Due to slow absorption and joss of moisture, the black soil retains moisture for a very long time which helps the crops, especially. ¢ rain fd ones to sustain even during the dry season fer = Mt has high quantities of lime, iron’ and generally poor percentage of Uitrogen and organic matter \ ‘The soil is very fertile in most of the places. ‘none gultivation of cotton, jowar, wheat fruits and vegetables, tobacco any season it has moisture stored moisture retentiveness of black makes it suitable for dry farming) 3. RED SOIL of the Peninsular plateau break up to form this soil. | ed from and in its subsoil. Distribution Red soil forms the Gecond sarees i group in IndiaJand is found mainly on @Feninsular India from Terai Neda inthe. te Bundelkhand in the north and Rajmahal Hills inthe east to Kutch in the west Red soil covers Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Bundelkhand, Meghalaya, and Nagaland. Scattered fare also found in Birbhum (West Jhansi, Banda, Hamirpur (Uttar ‘Chittorgarh, Dungarpur, Banswara (Rajasthan). (it practically ‘soil region on all sides) It ‘the west along the Ko! Characteristics of Red Soit heavy rainfal also called di are left beh Distribution Laterite soil mainly occurs in the hig! the Peninsular Platea of the Sahyadris, Ea many other hills in the eastern Patches of laterit Qdisha, Maharashtra, West Beng Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala. the top slopes of the penins. Western and Eastern G!Formation Ce deposition of Loamy. Large variety Coarse and dry in upper} Rabi and xp, reaches ofthe river and gets | Ops: rce, wn finer and moist as the river} Sugarcane, co flows down. 7am and cigeeg, Rich in minerals especially | i 2 Ganga, potash and lime. Maputra dey Poor in nitrogen and humus. Clayey. Cotton, cereals Black in colour. oilseeds, citrus Rich in lime, Magnesium. | fruits ang Poor in phosphorous, | Y8etables, tobacc nitrogen and organic matter. | @d sugarcane Very fertile Crops Loamy or Sandy. Vegetables, rice, Red in colour due to large | '@8 tobacco amounts of iron-oxides | #0Undnut and potatoes. Deep and fertile in lowlands; thin and poor in highlands. Poor in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and organic matter. Coarse and porous Tapioca, Red due to Iron Oxide, | cashewnuts Poor in lime, nitrogen and.) With manure rag, fetesaiom. rice, sugarcane tea, rubber and High acidity and low a. moisture retention. retention, manuring and other activit sresence of _tomake it suitable for growing nc g the soluble and sugarcan whereas tea, cinchona, rubber and on higher elevations. SOIL EROSION The removal of the topsoil cover by Ghd human activities is called soil ¢ is responsible for soil conditioning cither th agriculture or through pollution like dumpir! of chemical wastes in water bodies 4 underground. Besides human activity, soils degraded by nature during drought or floods 1. SOILEROSION BY WATER Wr Stect Rrosio it occurs on gentle slo? and is the slow wiRainwater wash: 4a. destoyed ashes away the [tis the intermediate sta ige between sheet gully erosion, Erosion: During heavy downpour, deep Temoves nutrients and heavy ‘Leaching: After harvesting, farmers leave the soils bare_for“some—fime, During rainfair the nutrients in the soil are leached or percolated below ‘The powerful waves dash against the coast hanging cliff rocks. The broken material is then removed by the retreating sea waves. This type of sea erosion is seen throughout the eastern and western coasts of India. Stream Bank Erosion: Streams and rivers change their courses by cutting one _bank_and depositing the silt Ioads on the other. During flash floods, the damage is accelerated &tream Bank Erosion is prevalent in the flood plaifis of Ganga, Yamuna and other rivers. As a result of Stream Bank Erosion, large areas of agricultural land in the States of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, are getting transformed into ravines.) ION DUE TO HUMAN ACTION to Sheet Erosion ground washes the soil down) (n the stage, in the absence of vegetation cover ng off of the absorbent topsoil, rills on the landscape) {n the third un off during heavy rains may ‘causing Gully Erosion) Shiwaliks), “the areas also receive of vegetation railway lines, roads, buildings or even agriculture has caused Sheet, Rill and Gully erosion) (ip these areas, local population practise shifting cultivation. ‘The heavy rains then wash away the bare soil from the slopes to the valleys below, \liKnother important cause of Sheet, Rill and Gully Erosion is uncontrolled grazing of domestic animals in the valleys and the upper slope 3, EROSION BY WIND Wind Erosion refers to the movement and deposition of soil particles by wind.(it occurs when soil. devg of vegetation is exposed tO high-velocity win ®The former is known a: and the latter as che particles less than 0.1mm or the finest particle’ detach into suspension. in fact, wind erosion is most visible in the suspensidh stage, as dust storms, or subsequently as deposition along fence lines and across roads. Wind erosion reduces the productive capacity of soil, as most of the nutrients required by the plants are carried away by the wind PEs ceed ‘Heavy Population Pressure on Land: India’s ver continues to be very low, just *21.54per Cycle of Poverty and Soil Erosion r =a Deemm | 1 Redes incetsing rodutty peace lt, smal ora Lani (Soil erosion), er Low Production Per Person Ditesteenae and marageien +! Practices (deforestation overgrazing. Tunbalanced feruizer application) ‘counter this vicious cycle of poverty and soil rosion government agencies need to encourage “se of technology for soil conservation; avenues of livelihood; in population,‘cent of the total area. On the other hand, the population ‘to rise at a rapid rate and has already crossed ion perk tthe year 2000. More forests to house and feed the increasing in India is the highest in the freely graze in open lands making Winds carry away dry soil landscape. Thus, soil erosion parts of Rajasthan, excessive ‘Farming Techniques: The poor farmers plough fields in traditional ways. The farming techniques and small size of holdings lead to soil erosion on a large scale. The absence of terracing, contour cultivation, crop rotation and the improper use of manure etc, have caused serious problems of soil ‘Topography: Northeastern parts of India, ‘Shiwaliks and hilly regions in South India are affected by soil erosion because of steep slopes and heavy site Chotanagpur plateau reg: the Tapi-Sabarmati valley regs of the regur soil area of Maharash: {Unt the dry areas of Rajasthan, G: VA Terre g:Onk as bunds and prevent the away by running water. Te: with successful resul ts: Farmers rainwater or by surface run o bunds. Terraces are levelled with even slope. Contour ploughir Japan, and some South-East strip of crops such as corn, soyabea: This method helps to prevent soil e: the roots of crops hold on to the so oe ed washed away by water or 1 < Construction of D erosion. Dams are built in the uppe: to ee erosion of soil \éPlugging Gullies: # The gullies made ir soil are plugged with deposition of silt durin. rains,Trees: The trees, like in the case {Loss of fertile topsoil together 1 sare planted along the edges of the Sutrients, from the upper surface lead to gradual ape ane ‘on steep slopes to prevent Joss of soil fertility and agricultural productivity, ise to enhance the capacity of yiy{owering of the water table and decreasing soil ag moisture Giff Drying of vegetation and extension of arid lands leading to an increase in the frequency of droughts and floods. on of reduced fertility of soil “usage, cin) salinisation or (if Silting of river and canal beds. ‘soil contamination, Wf Recurrence of landslides acute need to t soil crosion, —_(9iyAdverse effect on economic prosperity and cultural adverse effects. which include the development. the soil? Name the four types of soil. two factors responsible for the formation of soil ‘ean you say that soil has evolved over millions of years? ‘one important constituent of soil that adds fertility to the soil {d) Give geographical reason for each of the followit (i) The colour of alluvium soil varies in different areas, (i) Khadar is more fertile than bhangar soil. (ii) Black soil has a kind of self-ploughing characteristic. Q.2 (a) How are alluvial soils formed? ition any two advantages of alluvial soil. i) Why is soil a valuable resource for India? P)) >