SOILS

Grade X B
Alluvial Soil by Shaurya, Aaryan, Chhavi, Ayaan, Jiya
Characteristics

This is the most widely spread and important soil.

The northern plains are made of alluvial soil.

These have been deposited by three important Himalayan river systems– the Indus, the Ganga and the
Brahmaputra.

The alluvial soil consists of various proportions of sand, silt and clay.

Soil particles are coarse and bigger in size in the upper reaches of the river valley i.e near the place of
the break of slope.

Such soils are more common in piedmont plains such as duars, chos and terai.
Alluvial Soil
Alluvial soils as a whole are very fertile.

Contain adequate proportion of potash, phosphoric acid and lime

Ideal for the growth of sugarcane, paddy, wheat and other cereal and pulse crops.

Due to its high fertility, regions of alluvial soils are intensively cultivated and densely
populated.

Soils in the drier areas are more alkaline and can be productive after proper treatment and
irrigation.
Classification of Alluvial Soil on the basis of age

Khadar or New Alluvium

Bangar or Old Alluvium
The bangar soil has higher concentration of Kanker It is fine in texture and has less kankar nodules
nodules in subsoil.
It is fertile
It is less fertile
Found in the deltas and river valleys
Found in the upper courses of the river valley
Distribution of Alluvial Soil
Found in the Northern Plain from

Rajasthan to Assam and

through a narrow corridor it extends to

Gujarat

The Eastern Coastal plains covering the

Deltas of Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna

and Kaveri
Laterite soil
Laterite has been derived from the Latin word ‘later’ which means brick.

The laterite soil develops under tropical and subtropical climate with alternate wet
and dry season.

Laterite soil is the result of intense leaching due to heavy rain.

Leaching is the removal of soluble materials from one zone in soil to another via
water movement in the profile. Laterite soil, which develops in regions with high
temperature and heavy rainfall, is an example of this process in action.
Laterite Soil
Lateritic soils are acidic (pH<6.0).

Humus content is low and deficient in plant nutrients except in deciduous and evergreen forest.

Occur mostly in southern states, Western Ghats region of Maharashtra, Odisha, some parts of
West Bengal and North-east regions.

They are prone to erosion and degradation due to their position on the landscape.

After adopting appropriate soil conservation techniques particularly in the hilly areas of Karnataka,
Kerala and Tamil Nadu, this soil is very useful for growing tea and coffee.

Red laterite soils in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala are more suitable for crops like
cashew nut.
 Black Soil by Ananya, Uttara, Armaan, Aarushi, Hitakshi
CHARACTERISTICS:

➔ Black in colour
➔ Known as regur soils
➔ Used for growing cotton - also known as black cotton soil
➔ It is fine textured and clayey in nature
➔ Capacity to hold moisture

FORMATION:

➔ Climatic condition and parent rock material are the factors for formation
➔ It is black in colour since it is formed from weathered lava rocks.

NUTRIENTS FOUND:

➔ calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash, and lime.

➔ Deficit in phosphoric contents
DISTRIBUTION:
Cover plateaus of:
➔ Maharashtra
➔ Saurashtra
➔ Malwa
➔ Madhya Pradesh
➔ Chhattisgarh
Also, they extend in south east direction along the
Godavari and the Krishna valleys.

OTHER FEATURES:
➔ They develop deep cracks during hot weather, which
helps in the proper aeration of the soil.
➔ These soils are sticky when wet and difficult to work
on unless tilled immediately after the first shower or
during the pre-monsoon period.
Red and Yellow Soil
❏ Red soil develops on crystalline igneous rocks in areas of low rainfall

❏ Covers the eastern and southern part of the Deccan Plateau, parts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh,
southern parts of the middle Ganga plain and along the piedmont zone of the Western Ghats

❏ The soil develops a reddish colour due to a wide diffusion of iron in crystalline and metamorphic
rocks.

❏ It looks yellow when it occurs in a hydrated form.

Arid Soil
Arid soils range from red to brown in colour.

They are generally sandy in texture and saline in nature.

The salt content is very high and common salt is obtained by evaporating the
water.
Because of the increasing calcium content downwards, the lower part is occupied by
kankar.

Due to the dry climate, high temperature, evaporation is faster and the soil lacks
humus and moisture.
 Arid Soil
Distribution- Western Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab and extends up to the Rann of
Kutch in Gujarat.
Mountain and Forest Soil
Distribution- These soils are found in the hilly and mountainous region where sufficient
rain forests are available.

They are loamy and silty in valley sides,coarse grained in upper slopes.

Have high humus content.

In the snowy areas of the Himalayas, they experience denudation (weathering away of
the surface because of ice, water, wind etc.), and are acidic with a lower humus
content.

The soils found in the lower parts of the valleys particularly on

the river terraces and alluvial fans are fertile.
Soil Erosion
Soil erosion: The denudation and degradation of soil cover and washing down by water,
rain and other potentially harmful liquids is described as soil erosion.

● Soil erosion can be caused by both human and natural causes.

● Sometimes humans disturb the balance between soil erosion and conservation by
performing activities like deforestation, over-grazing, construction, mining, etc.
● Natural forces like wind, glacier and water lead to soil erosion.
Types of Soil Erosion
1. Running water cuts through the clayey soils and makes deep channels called
gullies. This land then becomes unfit for cultivation and is known as ‘bad land’. In
the Chambal basin such lands are called ravines.
2. Sometimes water flows as a sheet over large areas down a slope. In such cases
the top soil is washed away. This is known as ‘sheet erosion’.
3. Soil erosion is also caused due to defective methods of farming. Ploughing in a
wrong way- up and down the slope form channels for the quick flow of water.
 Soil Conservation
Soil Conservation: It is the prevention of loss of the top most layer of the soil from
erosion or prevention of reduced fertility caused by over usage, acidification or any
other soil contamination.

1. Ploughing along the contour lines (joins points of equal elevation) can slow down
the flow of water down the slopes.
2. Terrace Cultivation: This is another method to restrict erosion. Steps can be cut
out of the soil itself to make terraces→
3. Western and central Himalayas have particularly well developed and establishes
terrace farms. This is in part due to the high altitude and uneven terrain in the
mountains which are quite sloped.
Soil Conservation

4.Strip Cropping: Strips of grass are left to grow between the crops which break up the
force of the wind.

5.Wind speed can be reduced by planting lines of trees. Such rows are called shelter
belts. This method helps in stabilising sand dunes in deserts.
Identify the soil types.
Identify the soil types.
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.