Type of Soil Composition
These have been deposited by three
Alluvial Soil - This is the
most widely spread and
important soil. In fact, the
entire northern plains are
made of alluvial soil.
Alluvial soil are of three
types –
(a) Riverine soil
(b) Coastal Alluvial Soil
(c) Peat or Organic soil.
Characteristics Crop Association Regional Distribution
important Himalayan river systems– the
Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.
These soils also extend in Rajasthan and
Gujarat through a narrow corridor. Alluvial
soil is also found in the eastern coastal plains
particularly in the deltas of the Mahanadi,
the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri
rivers.
This type of soil is formed by the deposition of silt,
sand and clay in the river valleys.These are of two
types – Alluvial soils favours
the cultivation of
(i) New alluvium or Khadar which is deposited on the
rice, jute, wheat,
flood plains and near the river banks. It is fertile. It is
Composed of cotton, oilseeds, River valleys of the Ganga, Indus and
fine textured and acidic. The soil is grey in colour. It
sand, silt and clay. sugarcane, jute, Brahmaputra.
contains less amount of lime , humus and phosphorus.
millets, pulses,
(iii) Old alluvium or Bhangar is found in old flood tobacco and
plains located away from the river. It is calcareous and vegetables.
coarse grained. Its water retaining capacity is low and
its colour is dark.
Coastal soil is found in the East and
This type of soil is Coastal alluvial soil is light grey in colour. It is coarse Paddy, coconut,
West coastal plains of India specially in
rich in oceanic silt, grained. The soil is rich in sodium, calcium, areca nut, green
Sundarban in West Bengal where
sand and salt. magnesium. It is moderately fertile. chilly grow well
mangrove vegetation grows well.
This type of soil is
composed of silt,
Dark grey colour. The soil is coarse grained and porous. It is found in Kerala and Terai in Uttar
sand, clay mixed
It is rich in silica. Pradesh.
with organic
matter.
 Type of Soil
Black Soil: This is the second clay (Kaolinite)
important soil of India.
Red & Yellow Soil: This is the sand and clay
third important soil of India. particles like
Laterite soil: This is the
fourth important soil of
India.
Composition Characteristics Crop Association Regional Distribution
It is produced from lava rock basalt. Its colour is black.
Cotton, rice, onion, Black soil is found in Deccan Trap,
It is composed of It is fine textured and fertile. The soil is rich in calcium
oilseeds, oranges, specially Maharastra, Southern part of
carbonate, magnesium carbonate, iron, aluminium etc.
grapes and Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Northern
and silt. Sand is Its water retaining capacity is high. It is popularly
vegetables are well part of Karnataka, Telengana and
less in amount. known as 'Regur'. It favours cotton cultivation and
grown. Northern part of Tamil Nadu.
hence, it is known as 'black- cotton soil’.
It is originated from disintegrated ancient igneous and Red soil is found in Tamil Nadu,
Millets, specially,
Red soil is rich in metamorphic rocks like granite, gneiss, Its colour is red Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha in
ragi, rice, tobacco,
as it is rich in iron. Its water retaining capacity is poor. Deccan Plateau: Jharkhand in Chota
groundnut, potato
The soil is rich in Potassium and phosphate. It is coarse Nagpur plateau; North-eastern
and vegetables grow
Kaolinite grained as the soil is sandy. It looks yellow when it mountainous region and in Meghalaya
well in red soil .
occurs in a hydrated form. plateau.
The soil is red in colour due to the presence of iron.
The word 'Laterite' is derived from Latin word 'Later' Rubber, tea, coffee,
Laterite is rich in Laterite soil is found in Western Ghats,
meaning 'bricks'. These rocks are washed out through corn, cashewnut and
iron and Nilgiri, Cardamom and Eastern Ghats,
leaching process by rain water leaving a high rice grow in laterite
aluminium oxides hilly region of Odisha, Jharkhand in
proportion of iron and aluminium as residue. They are soil only with the
and contains less Chota Nagpur plateau and in
course grained and acidic in nature. They are poor in appliation of
amount of organic Meghalaya plateau.
plant nutrients and cannot retain moisture. So they are irrigation.
matter and silica.
infertile. Laterite soils are suitable for cultivation with
adequate doses of manures and fertilizers.
 Type of Soil
Desert soil or Arid Soil
Mountain Soil or Forests Soil
Composition Characteristics Crop Association Regional Distribution
With help of
Arid soils range from red to brown in colour. The soil is
The soil is sandy. Irrigation through
rich in minerals like quartz, feldspar, hornblend, Desert soil is found in Rajasthan desert
Due to absence of Rajasthan canal crops
phosphate etc, but poor in nitrogen. Desert soil is and in northern part of Kachchh of
vegetation the soil like cotton, Jowar,
known as sierozem. . They Gujarat.
is devoid of sugarcane, oilseeds,
are generally sandy in texture and saline in
organic matter. wheat are grown
nature.
abundantly.
Due to the slope of the land the soil is shallow. Its
The soils texture
colour is greyish brown. The soil is poor in potash,
varies according to The soil is found in West and East
phosphorus and lime but rich in nitrogen and organic Rubber, tea, coffee,
the mountain Himalayas, Western Ghats, Eastern
matter. The soil is fine grained. Its water retaining spices, fruits grow
environment Ghats and Cardamom hills.
capacity is medium. On the upper part of the mountain well in this soil.
where they are
the soil is acidic podzol type and in the lower part
formed.
brown chestnut soil is found.