Seven Soil Tracts

In 1956 M Amirul Islam and Wahedul Islam classified the soils of Bangladesh
into 7 types on the basis of Physiographic condition and the geological origin
of the parent material. A brief description of the seven tracts follows:

• Madhupur Tract or Red Soil Tract

⎯ Occupies a total area of around 10,000 sq km of the former greater districts
of Dhaka and Mymensingh and some isolated areas in Chittagong, Comilla
and Sylhet districts.
⎯ This tract represents the red lateritic soils of Madhupur area.
⎯ The soils of this tract have clayey texture and contain large quantity of iron
and aluminium.
• Barind Tract
⎯ Occupies a total area of around 13,000 sq km of the former greater districts
of Rajshahi, Dinajpur and Bogura.
⎯ This tract belongs to an old alluvial formation which is usually composed
of massive agrillaceous beds of reddish brown colour.
• Tista Silt
⎯ Comprises parts of the former greater districts of Rangpur, Dinajpur,
Bogura and Pabna.
⎯ It covers total area of approximately 16,000 sq km.
⎯ The predominant soil texture is sandy loam. The soils are in general fertile.
• Brahmaputra Alluvium
⎯ Located in the former greater districts of Comilla, Noakhali and Sylhet
except the hilly areas of Mymensingh, Dhaka and Chittagong.
⎯ It covers an area of 40,000 sq km.
⎯ The dominant soil texture is sandy loam. The soils are naturally fertile.
• Gangetic Alluvium
⎯ Comprises the former greater districts of Jessore and Kushtia and some parts
of Rajshahi, Pabna, Faridpur, Khulna, Barisal and Dhaka.
⎯ This tract occupies an area of 27,000 sq km.
⎯ It represents the riverine lands of the Gangetic plains.
⎯ Soil texture varies from clay loam to sandy loam. The soils are moderately
fertile and are characterised by calcium carbonate content.
 • Coastal Saline Tract
⎯ Comprises parts of the former Barisal, Patuakhali, Khulna, Noakhali and
Chittagong districts.
⎯ A total of around 20,000 sq km area is under this tract.
⎯ It represents the flat low-lying areas along the coastal belt and the estuarine
islands.
⎯ The soils are saline. The Sundarban is located in this tract.
• Hill Tracts
⎯ Comprise Chittagong Hill Tracts and the Garo Hills of the former greater
Mymensingh district.
⎯ Hill Tracts cover an area of around 15,000 sq km.
⎯ The soils consist of hard red clay with a mixture of fine sand of the same
color.
⎯ The soils are moderately to strongly acidic. The soils have a low natural
fertility.

Different Types of Soil – Sand, Silt, Clay and Loam

Or
Composition of Soil
Soil is formed by different particles such as gravel, rock, sand, silt, clay, loam
and humus. There’s a discussion below on properties, characteristics, size,
shape and constituents of least sized soil types namely sand, silt, clay and loam.
1. Sand
It consists of particles of rock and hard minerals, such as silicon dioxide. They
are the largest type of soil particles, which are generally round. The large,
relatively stable sand-particle size increases soil aeration, improves drainage
in tight soils and creates plant-growth supporting qualities, or tilt. The particle
size of course sand ranges from 0.05mm – 2mm.
2. Silt
Silt is a sediment material with an intermediate size between sand and clay.
Carried by water during flood it forms a fertile deposit on valleys floor. The
particle size of silt ranges from 0.002 to 0.05 mm. Silt is a non-plastic or low
plasticity material due to its fineness. Due to its fineness, when wet it becomes
a smooth mud and when silt soil is very wet, it blends seamlessly with water
to form fine, runny puddles of mud.
3. Clay
Clay particles are the finest of all the soil particles, measuring fewer than 0.002
mm in size. It consists of microscopic and sub-microscopic particles derived
from the chemical decomposition of rocks. Clay is fine grained cohesive soil.
They stick together readily and form a sticky or gluey texture when they are
wet or dry. Clay is made of over 25 percent clay, and because of the spaces
found between clay particles, clay soils hold a high amount of water. Clay
expands when in contact with water and shrink when getting dry. Clay particles
are thin, flat and covered with tiny plates.
4. Loam
Loam is a mixture of clay, sand and silt and benefits from the qualities of these
3 different textures, favoring water retention, air circulation, drainage and
fertility. These soils are fertile, easy to work with and provide good drainage.
Depending on their predominant composition they can be either sandy or clay
loam.
The way the other particles combine in the soil makes the loam. For instance,
a soil that is 30 per cent clay, 50 per cent sand and 20 per cent silt is a sandy
clay loam, with the soil types before “loam” listed in the order their particles
are most dominant in the loam. The labels “clay loam,” “silt loam” and “sandy
loam” are used to refer to soils that are composed predominantly of those
ingredients.