Type of Soils

Alluvial Soil:
-› Covers largest area (around 40%) in India.
-› Highly Fertile soil.
-› Rich in Organic matter and Potash but deficient in Phosphorous.
-› Colour – Light grey to Ash grey.
-› Areas where Present- Northern Plains and River Valleys, some parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan, Eastern coast deltas.

-› It contains calcareous formations known as Kankars.
-› Two different types of alluvial soils: Khadar and Bhangar.
-› Khadar is the new alluvium which is deposited by the floods annually.
-› Bhangar is the old alluvium which is present away from flood plains.

Red and Yellow Soil:
-› Covers second largest area (around 18.5%) in India.
-› Present in area of low rainfall in eastern and southern Deccan Plateau.
-› Areas where Present – Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Southern Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and some parts of U.P
Develops on igneous rocks.
-› Soil is Red in colour due to high content of iron in the rocks.
-› It appears in Yellow colour when hydrated.
-›Poor in nitrogen, humus and phosphorous.

Black Soil:
-›Also known as Regur or Black Cotton Soil.
-› Parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, M.P, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Also present in Godavari and Krishna deltas.
-› Rich in Iron, Alumina, magnesia and lime.
Poor in nitrogen and phosphorous.
-› Impermeable nature. It does not absorb water easily.
It swells when wet and shrinks when dried. -› So, a kind of Self-Ploughing occurs in this soil.
-› Colour- deep Black to Grey.

Laterite Soil:
-› Present in the areas with High Rainfall and High Temperature.
-› Areas where found – Tamilnadu, Kerela, Karnataka, M.P. Hilly areas of Odisha and Assam.
-› Rich in Iron oxide and aluminium compounds.
-› Poor in Organic matter.
-› Suitable for crops like Cashew nut.
-› Leaching of Lima and Silica occurs due to high rainfall.

Arid Soil:
-› Characteristic soil of Western Rajasthan.
-› Color – Red to Brown.
-› Sandy in structure and Saline in nature.
-› Kankar layer is present which prevents infiltration of water.
-› Found in Dry areas.
-› Lack moisture and Humus.

Saline Soils:
-› Generally found in Arid, semi-Arid or waterlogged and Swampy areas.
-› Contains large proportion of Sodium, Magnesium and potassium. Hence It is infertile.
-› Found in western Gujarat, deltas of eastern coast, and in Sunderbans areas of West Bengal.
-› Excessive Irrigation also causes Soil to become Saline.
-› Gypsum is added to solve the problem of salinity.

Peaty Soils:
-› Found in High Rainfall and High Humidity.
Rich in Organic Matter.
-› About 40 to 50% is the organic matter.
-› Peaty soils are heavy in nature and black in color.
-› Found in coastal parts of Tamil Nadu, Odisha, West Bengal, Norther parts of Bihar and southern Uttaranchal.

Forest Soils:
-› Found in forests and snow-bound areas of Himalayas.
-› In lower valleys, it is fertile.
-› In Himalayas, they are acidic and have low Organic matter.