Different types of soil in India

and their specific crops

Vanditha.C.V.
TYPES OF SOIL

▪ Alluvial Soils

▪ Black Soils

▪ Red Soils

▪ Laterite Soils

▪ Mountain Soils

▪ Desert Soils
 ALLUVIAL SOIL
▪ It is the most important type of soil found in India covering

about 40 per cent of the total land area. It is very fertile and
contributes the largest share of agricultural wealth. This soil
supports nearly half of the Indian population.

▪ The alluvial soil is found mostly in the Northern Plains,

starting from Punjab in the west to West Bengal and Assam

in the east. It is also found in the deltas of the Mahanadi,
Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri rivers in the Peninsular
India.
 ALLUVIAL SOIL
▪ The northern parts and the coastal areas of Gujarat

also have some deposits of alluvial soil.

▪ Many rivers originate from the Himalayan Mountains

and bring a large amount of sediment with them. It is

deposited in the river valleys and the flood plains.
Thus, the parent material of the alluvial soils is
always of transported origin.

▪ The fine particles of sand, silt and clay are called

alluvium.
TYPES OF CROPS GROWN IN
ALLUVIAL SOIL
▪ Rice
▪ Wheat
▪ Maize
▪ Sugar cane
▪ Tobacco
▪ Cotton
▪ Jute
▪ Oilseeds
ALLUVIAL SOIL IMAGES
 BLACK SOIL
▪ The black soil is locally called regur, a word derived from
Telugu word ‘reguda’. It is also called the Black Cotton Soil, as
cotton is the most important crop grown in this soil.

▪ The black soil is mostly found in the Deccan Trap, covering

large areas of Maharashtra, Gujarat and western Madhya

Pradesh. It is also found in some parts of Godavari and Krishna
river valleys, covering parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and
Tamil Nadu.
 BLACK SOIL
▪ The black soil has been formed thousands of years ago,
due to the solidification of volcanic lava.

▪ This soil is made up of extremely fine clayey material.

▪ The black soil is well-known for its capacity to hold

moisture.

▪ This soil is rich in calcium carbonate, magnesium

▪ carbonate, potash and lime, but poor in phosphoric

content.
▪ During the rainy season, black soil becomes sticky.
 TYPES OF CROPS GROWN IN
BLACK SOIL
▪ Cotton

▪ Wheat

▪ Linseed

▪ Millets

▪ Tobacco

▪ Oilseeds

▪ Rice

▪ Sugar cane
BLACK SOIL IMAGES
 RED SOIL
▪ The red soil occupies about 10 per cent area of India, mostly in
the south-eastern part of the Peninsular India. This area
encircles the entire black soil region. The red soil is found in
Tamil Nadu, parts of Karnataka, southeast Maharashtra, eastern
parts of Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and
Jharkhand.
▪ Most of the red soil has been formed due to weathering of

igneous and metamorphic rocks.

▪ The red color is due to the high percentage of iron

contents.
 RED SOIL
▪ The texture of the red soil varies from sandy to clayey,

and the majority being loamy.

▪ On the uplands, the red soil is thin, poor, and porous

and has loose gravel.

▪ In the lower areas, the soil is deep, rich, fine grained

and fertile.
▪ This soil is rich in potash.
 TYPES OF CROPS GROWN IN
RED SOIL
▪ Cotton

▪ Wheat

▪ Rice

▪ Pulses

▪ Millets

▪ Tobacco

▪ Oilseeds
RED SOIL IMAGES
 LATERITE SOIL
▪ The word ‘laterite’ has been derived from a Latin word
meaning ‘brick’. The laterite soil is widely spread in
India and is mainly found on the summits of the
Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, Rajmahal Hills,
Vindhyas, Satpuras and Malwa plateau. It is well-
developed in southern Maharashtra, and parts of
Orissa, West Bengal, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh,
Kerala, Bihar, Assam and Meghalaya.
 LATERITE SOIL
▪ The laterite soil is formed under conditions of high

temperature and heavy rainfall with alternate wet and

dry periods.
▪ Such climatic conditions promote leaching of soil.

▪ Leaching is a process in which heavy rains wash away

the fertile part of the soil.

▪ The laterite soil is red in color and composed of little

clay and much gravel of red sandstones.

 TYPES OF CROPS GROWN IN
LATERITE SOIL
▪ Tea

▪ Coffee

▪ Rubber

▪ Coconut

▪ Areca nut

▪ Also provides valuable building

materials
LATERITE SOIL IMAGES
 MOUNTAIN SOIL
▪ The mountain soil is generally found on the hill slopes
covered with forests. In the Himalayan region such
soil is mainly found in the valley basins, the
depressions and the lesser steep slopes. The north-
facing slopes generally support soil cover. Apart from
the Himalayan region, this soil is also found in the
Western and Eastern Ghats and in some parts of the
Peninsular India.
 MOUNTAIN SOIL
▪ The mountain soil is formed mainly due to the
deposition of organic matter provided by the
forests.

▪ This soil is rich in humus, but poor in

potash, phosphorus and lime.

▪ It is heterogeneous in nature and varies from place

to place.
 TYPES OF CROPS GROWN IN
MOUNTAIN SOIL

▪ Tea

▪ Coffee

▪ Spices

▪ Tropical fruits in
Karnataka, Tamil
Nadu and Kerala
MOUNTAIN SOIL IMAGES
 DESERT SOIL
▪ The desert soil is found mostly in the arid and semi-
arid regions, receiving less than 50 cm of annual
rainfall.
▪ Such regions are mostly found in Rajasthan and the
adjoining areas of Haryana and Punjab. The Rann of
Kachchh in Gujarat is an extension of this region.

▪ The sand in the desert areas is partly of local origin

and partly being blown in from the Indus Valley.
 DESERT SOIL
▪ It includes even the wind-blown loess.

▪ The desert soil has sand (90 to 95 per cent) and

clay (5 to 10 per cent).

▪ In some regions this soil has high percentage of

soluble salts, but lacks in organic matter.

▪ The nitrogen content is low, but the phosphate

content is as high as in normal alluvial soil.
 TYPES OF CROPS GROWN IN
DESERT SOIL
▪ Wheat

▪ Millets

▪ Barley

▪ Maize

▪ Pulses

▪ Cotton
DESERT SOIL IMAGES