SOIL—

BLACK SOIL—in-situ/REGUR/black cotton soil

Formation: formed by the breaking down of Black Igneous Rocks
Features:
 Very fertile
 Highly moisture-retentive
 Clayey—90% clay content
 Self-ploughing capacity
 Develops cracks when dry & becomes sticky when wet
 Rich in Magnesium, Potassium, Calcium
 Deficient in Nitrogen and Humus
Places: hinterlands of Maharashtra and Gujarat, MP
Crops grown: cotton, sugarcane, millets
RED SOIL—in-situ soil
Formation: formed by the weathering of the crystalline & metamorphic rocks
Features:
 Red in colour due to high content of iron oxide
 Acidic
 Course, crumbly, friable
 Not very fertile
 Responds to fertilisers
 Deficient in nitrogen, humus, lime
Places: parts of TN, AP, Orissa, Jharkhand, Karnataka
Crops: cotton, wheat, rice, pulses
ALLUVIAL SOIL—ex-situ soil
3 types of alluvium depending on where they’re found
INLAND—Indo-gangetic plain
COASTAL—eastern & western coastal plain
DELTAIC—deltas of Ganga, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri
Formation: alluvial soil is transported from mountainous regions by agents of erosion like rivers,
rainwater, glaciers & are deposited as alluvium on the flood plains or deltas
2 types—Khadar & Bhangar

KHADAR BHANGAR
New alluvium Old alluvium
More fertile Less fertile
Fine particles Coarse particles
Porous Non-porous
Loamy Clayey
Replenished by floods Not replenished by floods
Found near river beds, flood plains, valleys Found in upper terraces of river valleys

Features:
 Fine-grained
 Very fertile
 Porous
 Rich in minerals
 Deficient in nitrogen and humus
Places: Punjab, Haryana, UP, Bihar
Crops: Rice, wheat, sugarcane, jute
LATERITE SOIL—
Formation: formed by process of leaching/desilication. Laterite soil is formed when heavy rain
washes away the top layer of the soil and the nutrients percolate through the soil.
Features:
 Not very fertile
 Red in colour due to high content of iron oxide
 Coarse, crumbly, friable
 Porous
 Rich in phosphates
 Deficient in nitrogen and humus
Places: Eastern & Western Ghats and some Southern States
Crops: Tea, coffee, rubber, coconut