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Soils of India

By:

Yatindra Dutt
M.Sc. Geology (2009-2011)

Department of Geology

University of Pune, Maharashtra, India


Types of Soils
Indian Council of Agricultural Research set up an All-India Soil Survey Committee, which divided
Indian Soil in 8 different categories. Some of which are quite inclusive of a rather wide variety of
soil conditions while others have quite uniform and consistent soil characteristic throughout.

Type Characteristics Places of occurrence Vegetation Special crops


Red soils Red colour is due to various oxides Red soil occurs Natural vegetation Bajra, cotton,
of iron. They are poor in N, P, K extensively in Andhra consist of scanty wheat, pulses,
and with pH varying 7 to 7.5. Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, thorny and bushy millets,
These soils are light textured with Goa, Parts of kerala, vegetation with groundnuts,
porous structure. Lime is absent Maharastra, Karnataka, sparce local sugarcane,
with low soluble salts. The red Tamilnadu and West grasses. potatoes, and
soils differ greatly in consistency, Bengal. Most of the red fruits.
colour,depth and fertility. On the soils have been classified
uplands, they are thin, gravelly, in the order ' Alfisols'. It
sandy, or stony and porous, light covers in all about 5.18
coloured soils. But on the lower lakh sq. km of area.
plains and valleys they are rich,
deep dark coloured fertile loam.
Lateritic Seen in high rainfall areas, under These occurs most Mixed evergreen Extensive area
Soils high rainfall conditions silica is extensively and cover an and deciduous under Reserve
released and leached down wards area of about 2,48,000 sq. tropical forests. Forest. Cashew
and the upper horizons of soils km. They are distributed plantations are
become rich in oxides of iron and in summits of hills of scattered. Rubber
alluminium. The texture is light Daccan karnataka, Kerala, plantations are
with free drainage structure. Madhyapradesh, Ghat being tried.
Clay is predominant and lime is regions of Orissa, Andhra
deficient. pH 5 to 6 with low in pradesh, Maharastra and
base exchange capacity, contained also in West Bengal,
more humus and are well drained. Tamilnadu and Assam.
These soils are generally poor in N, Most of the laterite soils
P, K and organic matters but are have been classified in the
responsive to nitrogen and order ' ultisols' and a few
phosphate mannuring and hence under ' oxisols'.
produce good crops.
Alluvial These are the most important soils These soils occupy Cactus, short Rice, Sugarcane,
Soils from the agriculture point of view. extensive tracts of land in grass, Palm, Jute, Tobacco,
The soils are sandy loam to clay about 15 lakh sq. km. in Accacia, banana, cotton,
loam with light grey colour to dark North-Western and North- Zizyphus, loving Wheat, Maize,
colour, structure is loose and more Eastern parts of India and plants. oilseeds,
fertile. But the soils are low in include greater parts of Vegetables and
NPK and humus. Rajasthan, Punjab, Fruits.
They are well supplied with lime; Haryana, Utter Pradesh,
base exchange capacity is low, pH North Western part of
ranges from 7 to 8. Delhi, Bihar, Parts of
Assam, parts of Garo
Hills,West Bengal, Orissa,
Parts of M.P & Gujarat,
deltaic areas of Godawari,
Krishna, and Cauvery in
Southern India.
Black This is well known group of soils These soils cover an area Xerophytic bushy, Cotton, wheat,
Soils characterised by dark grey to black of about 5,46,000 sq. km. thorny plants, chillies, linseed,
colour with high clay content. Major black soils are predominantly jowar, Virginia
They are neutral to slightly alkaline found in Maharastra, Zizyphus , trees of tobacco, castor,
in reaction. Deep cracks develop Madhyapradesh, Gujarat Accacia Arabica, safflower and
during summer, the depth of the and Tamilnadu, Southern date palm, neem, millets.
soil varies from less than a meter to Rajasthan and and in U.P. mango, dhub grass Vegetables of
several meters. Poor free drainage and miscellaneous different kinds
results in the soils, base exchange bushes and grass. and citrus fruits.
is high with high pH and rich in
lime and potash.
Desert These soils are mostly sandy to They occur under arid and Thin grass and Very few crops,
Soils loamy fine sand with brown to semi-arid conditions and deserted specially coarse
yellow brown colour, contains
occupy large tracts in xerophytic. millets, jowar and
large amounts of soluble salts and
lime with pH ranging 8.0 to 8.5. Rajasthan, Haryana and bajra are grown.
Nitrogen content is very low. The South Punjab.
presence of Phosphate and Nitrate
make the desert soils fertile and
productive under water supply.
Peaty These soils occur in humid regions Marshy soils are found in ---------------------- On these soils,
and with accumulation of high organic costal tracts of Orissa, in paddy is grown
Marshy matter. During monsoons the soils the Sundarbans and other when water
Soils get submerged in water and the places in West Bengal in recedes.
water receipts after the monsoon the central portion of north
during which period rice is Bihar, in the Almora
cultivated. Soils are black clay and district of U.P. and in the
highly acidic with pH of 3.5. Free South-East coast of
alluminium and ferrous sulphate Tamilnadu.
are present.
The depressions formed by dried
rivers and lakes in alluvial and
coastal areas sometimes give rise to
water logged soils and such soils
are blue in colour due to the
presence of ferrous iron. The soils
are generally submerged under
water during the monsoon.
Saline Saline soils contain excess of Both kinds of salt effected ---------------------- Rice, wheat,
and natural soluble salts dominated by soils occur in different cotton, banana,
Alkaline chlorides and sulphates which parts of India like sugarcane,
Soils affects plant growth. Sodic or alkali Uttarpradesh, Haryana, coconut ant
soils contain high exchangeable Punjab, Maharastra, tobacco.
sodium salts. Texturally they are Tamilnadu, Gujarat,
sandy to loamy sand. Rajastan and A.P.

Mountai Most of these soils are low in lime These soils cover about ---------------------- Tea, temperate
n and and are Acedic. In area of good 13,300sq.km mainly in fruits and may
Hill Soils rainfall, they are rich in humus and Jammu and Kashmir, also be used for
vey fertile for the cultivation. H.P., Punjab, U.P., Bihar, growing paddy.
West Bengal, Assam,
Tripura, Manipur,
Meghalaya, A.P., and
Nagaland, etc.

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