TRUE MENTORS BY ARUN KUMAR AIR-5 SSC CGL 2023

Arun Kumar
(SSC CGL-2023 AIR -5)

Geography Notes

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 TRUE MENTORS BY ARUN KUMAR AIR-5 SSC CGL 2023

Soils of India
 In the ancient period, the classification -
1. Urvara [fertile]
2. Usara [sterile]
 In the modern period, characteristics of soil based on texture, color, moisture, etc.
 The Soil Survey of India was established in 1956
 The National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, study the soil under the
Indian Council of Agriculture Research

Soil contains following components:

 Soil particles (gravel, sand, silt and clay)
 Humus (organic matter, formed by decomposition of death and decay of living organisms)
 Soil air
 Soil water
 Soil organisms
 A-horizon is called the TOP soil
 Pedalfer Soil- Soil having content of aluminum and iron
 Percolation rate water is the least in –Clayey
 Watermelons grow best in-Sandy Soil
 Pedocal is the alkaline type of soil that forms in grassland regions.
 Chernozem is a type of fertile black soil containing a very high percentage of humus.
Formed from rocks of cretaceous lava.

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 TRUE MENTORS BY ARUN KUMAR AIR-5 SSC CGL 2023

Classification of Indian Soil as per USDA

 The ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) has classified Indian soil on the basis of
its nature and characteristics as per the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Soil
Taxonomy. Inceptisols soil has highest percentage.

S.No Order Percentage

1. Inceptisols 39.74
2. Entisols 28.08
3. Alfisols 13.55
4. Vertisols 8.52
5. Aridisols 4.28
6. Ultisols 2.51
7. Mollisols 0.40
8. Others 2.92
Total – 100

 On the basis of genesis, color, composition and location, classified into:

1. Alluvial soil [43%]
2. Red soil [18.5%]
3. Black/regur soil [15%]
4. Arid / desert soil
5. Laterite soil
6. Saline soil
7. Peaty / marshy soil
8. Forest soil
9. Sub-mountain soil
10. Snowfield

 Indian Soil are generally Poor in Nitrogen and Phosphorus

Alluvial soil:
 Mostly available soil in India (about 43%) covers an area of 143 sq. km.
 Widespread in northern plains and river valleys.
 In peninsular India, they are primarily found in deltas and estuaries.
 Humus, lime, and organic matter are present. Highly fertile.
 New alluvium is termed as Khadar and old alluvium is termed as Bhangar.
 Color: Light Grey to Ash Grey.
 Texture: Sandy to silty loam or clay.
 Rich in: potash
 Poor in: phosphorous. Nitrogen and Humus
 Wheat, rice, maize, sugarcane, pulses, oilseed, etc. are cultivated mainly.

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Red soil:
 Seen mainly in low-rainfall areas.
 Also known as Omnibus group.
 Porous, friable structure.
 Absence of lime, kankar (impure calcium carbonate).
 Deficient in: lime, phosphate, manganese, nitrogen, humus, and potash.
 Color: Red because of Ferric oxide. The lower layer is reddish-yellow or yellow.
 Texture: Sandy to clay and loamy.
 Wheat, cotton, pulses, tobacco, oilseeds, potatoes, etc. are cultivated.

Black soil / regur soil:

 Regur means cotton – the best soil for cotton cultivation.
 Most of the Deccan is occupied by Black soil.
 Mature soil.
 High water retaining capacity.
 Swells and will become sticky when wet and shrink when dried.
 Self-plowing is a characteristic of black soil as it develops wide cracks when dried.
 Rich in: Iron, lime, calcium, potassium, aluminum, and magnesium.
 Deficient in: Nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic matter.
 Color: Deep black to light black.
 Texture: Clayey.
 Crops Grown-Cotton, Wheat, Sugercane etc
 Poor in phosphorous

Laterite soil:
 Name from the Latin word ‘Later’ which means Brick.
 It becomes so soft when wet and so hard when dried.
 In the areas of high temperature and high rainfall.
 Formed as a result of high leaching.
 Lime and silica will be leached away from the soil.
 , humus content is low.
 Rich in: Iron and Aluminum
 Deficient in: Nitrogen, Potash, Potassium, Lime, Humus
 Color: Red color due to iron oxide.
 Texture-Coarse
 Rice, Ragi, Sugarcane, and Cashew nuts are cultivated mainly.

Desert / arid soil:

 Seen under Arid and Semi-Arid conditions.
 Deposited mainly by wind activities.
 Rich in-High salt content.
 Lack of moisture and Humus.
 Kankar or Impure Calcium carbonate content is high which restricts the infiltration of water.
 Deficient in-Nitrogen is insufficient and Phosphate is normal.
 Texture: Sandy
 Color: Red to Brown.

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Peaty / marshy soil:

 Areas of heavy rainfall and high humidity.
 The growth of vegetation is very low.
 A large quantity of dead organic matter/humus which makes the soil alkaline.
 Heavy soil with black color.
 Peaty and marshy soils are found in areas with high water tables, such as the Kerala
backwaters and parts of northeastern India.
 They have high organic content but can be acidic.
 These soils can support wetland agriculture and are suitable for rice and aquatic crops.

Forest soil:
 Forest and hill soils are found in densely forested regions and higher altitudes.
 They are acidic and have a shallow topsoil layer.
 These soils are essential for g forest ecosystems but are not suitable for intensive agriculture.

Mountain soil:
 Immature soil with low humus and acidic.
 Mountain soils are found in hilly and mountainous regions, including the Himalayas.
 These soils are suitable for horticulture, tea, and temperate crops like apples and potatoes.

Saline and Alkaline Soils:

 Saline and alkaline soils are found in coastal areas and arid regions.
 Saline Soils They are also known as Usara soils
 Also called kallar soil
 Saline soils contain a larger proportion of sodium, potassium and magnesium
 They are infertile and salty and do not support any vegetative growth.
 They occur in arid and semi-arid regions, and in waterlogged and swampy areas.
 They lack in nitrogen and calcium.
 Saline soils are more widespread in western Gujarat, deltas of the eastern coast and in
Sunderban areas of West Bengal. In the Rann of Kuchchh
 Punjab and Haryana, farmers are advised to add gypsum to solve the problem of salinity in
the soil

 Sundari Trees are found in West Bengal Mangrove forest

Soil Erosion
 Type of Soil Erosion
1. Rain Drop and Splash erosion
2. Sheet Erosion
3. Rill Erosion
4. Gully Erosion
5. Stream Bank Erosion

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Some Extra Soil Type-for additional information

1. Podzol Soil/ Spodosols (coniferous forest soils)

 Found in the humid continental mild summer climate- in North America and Eurasia.
 Lack in humus and clay in the horizons, Not very fertile soils.

2. Tundra Soil: This type of soil develops in very cold climates. This soil is found covered with
thick layers of lichens and mosses.

3. Chernozem Soil: This soil is also known as black soil. It is one of the most fertile soils of the
earth. It is found in the steppes of Ukraine, the central part of the USA, Central Africa, South
America and Australia.

4. Prairie Soil: This soil is similar to chernozem but it lacks the excess of calcium carbonate.
Maize is the main agricultural product of this soil.

5. Bog Soil: This soil is found in marshy areas of humid climate. It remains saturated with
water.

6. Meadow Soil: This soil is found in the flood-prone areas where water drainage is better than
that in the marshes. This soil remains covered with a thin layer of humus which supports the
growth of grasses.

7. Gelisols-These are permanently frozen soils, found predominantly at high altitudes, including
the Antarctic and Arctic regions.

8. Oxisols-These soils develop in the hot and humid climates of the equatorial region. These
soils are called oxisols because they have distinctive horizon with a mixture of iron and
aluminium oxides.

9. Aridisols-Desert soils

10. Mollisols -Grassland soils

11. Alfisols -Moderately weathered forest soils

12. Ultiosols-These highly weathered forest soils are found in the temperature climates. These
soils tend to be reddish in color because of residual iron and aluminum oxides in the horizon.

13. Entisols- ( recent, underdeveloped soils)

14. Inceptisols- (weakly developed soils). These soils are inherently infertile. More developed
than entisols.

15. Andisols- ( volcanic parent materials)

16. Vertisols- (expandable clay soils)-are black when wet and become iron hard when dry.
 The regur soils of India are an example of vertisols.

17. Histosols (organic soils)-Formed from accumulation of thick organic matter

18. Aridisols-Formed from a mix of salt, gypsum, or carbonates, this soil type is found in hot
and cold deserts.

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