INDIA- SOILS

Soil is the loose material which forms the upper layer of the surface of
the earth.
Process of soil formation is called Pedogenesis.
Soil formation depends on:
1.Type of parent rock or bedrock.
2. Climate
3.Presence of living organisms.
4.Topography and drainage
Soil basically contains silica, clay, chalk and humus.
Importance of Soil-
1. It is the only medium of plant growth and the source of food.
2. It helps in the percolation of underground water.
3. It provides shelter to creatures like ants & earthworms.
Soil Profile-It’s a vertical
cross section of the soil.
O-Horizon- Consists of
humus formed by the
decay of plant and animal
matter.
A-Horizon-Forms the top
soil where there is no
humus.
B-Horizon- Forms the
subsoil containing sand,
silt & clay.
C-Horizon-Made up of
partially weathered
bedrock.
D-Horizon- It is a bottom
layer made up of bedrock
 1. Alluvial Soil
2. Black Soil
3- Red Soil
4- Laterite Soil
 Alluvial Soil
Alluvial Soil- Is formed by sediments or alluvium eroded from rocks and
transported and deposited by the rivers.
It is the most extensive soil of India found in the river basins and delta region.
Alluvial soil is of two types-
A- Deltaic coastal
B-Inland Alluvium
Deltaic alluvial soil of the South Indian river is darker while those of
Himalayan river yellowish.
This soil is called ex-situ
Distribution-Punjab, Haryana, UttarPradesh,
Bihar, West Bengal.
Eastern & Western coastal strip. Along the
basins of major rivers. Delta regions.
Characteristics
1- Found at a depth of 500 mts.
2- Colour varies from Yellow to Brown.
3-Rich in potash, humus and lime.
4- Deficient in Nitrogen & Phosphorous.
Deltaic Alluvial Soil
Khadar –Lower course Bhangar-Upper course
• New alluvial soil • Old alluvial soil.
• More fertile than • Less fertile than Khadar.
Bhangar soil. • Found 30 m above the
• Found in lower valleys sea level
or river deltas • Light grey, Coarse and
• Dark coloured, clayey calcareous.
and loamy • Does not get renewed.
• Gets renewed annually.
 Alluvial Soil
Major crops grown in Alluvial soil
Cereals
Rice
Sugarcane
Oilseeds
In the lower Ganga-Brahmaputra valley,in
West Bengal & Aasam it is used for Jute
cultivation.
Wheat and Sunflower
Sugarcane
Black Soil
 Black Soil

BLACK SOIL/Regur soil/lava soil:

It is volcanic in origin and formed by the
disintegration of Basalt rocks.
It is formed in Situ.(found in the area where
it is formed)
It is also known as black cotton soil
Basalt Rock
• Distribution-Occurs mainly in
Deccan trap covering the parts
of states of Maharashtra,
Gujarat, MP, AP & Southern
Tamilnadu
• Characteristics
1-Colour varies from black to
chestnut brown
2- Rich in iron, potash & lime
3- Retains moisture & becomes
sticky when wet.
4-Develops cracks when moisture
is lost from it.
Crops Grown
Cotton, Jowar, Wheat, Sugarcane,
Gram
RED SOIL-
It is formed by weathering of crystalline igneous and
metamorphic rocks.
Distribution- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka ,Chhattisgarh, Odisha,Parts
of Andhra Pradesh & Chhatisgarh & Jharkhand. It also occurs in
parts of Meghalaya,Manipur,Nagaland & Mizoram
Characteristics:
1-Red in colour due to the presence of Iron Oxide.Colour
may vary from Chocolate brown to yellow.
2- Poor in nitrogen & lime, Phosphorous & humus
3- Rich in Potash
4- Does not retain the moisture as it is porous.
5-Being friable, it is easy to till.
Crops grown: Wheat, Rice , Millets, Cotton, Sugarcane,
Pulses, Cashew nuts,tea are grown by adding fertilizers.
Metamorphic Rock
Metamorphic rocks in Karnataka
LATERITE SOIL
Laterite soil is formed by leaching of Laterite rocks.
Leaching-Removal of Lime & Silica from the rocks due to alternate
wet & dry spells is called Leaching.
Distribution- Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, WB, Summits of western &
Eastern Ghats,Goa & Kerala,Summits of Garo,Khasi hills in North
East.
Characteristics-
1-Red in colour as it contains iron oxide
2-Poor in nitrogen,Potassium, Phosphorous & lime. Rich in Iron.
3-Acidic and does not retain the moisture. One should use organic fertilizer.
4-It is porous and does not retain the moisture.
5- It is coarse and is friable.
Crops grown- Cashew & tapioca
However, by proper irrigation and using fertilizers crops like Rubber,tea,
coffee, coconut, Cinchona can be grown.
Laterite Rock
Laterite Soil in Eastern Ghats
Laterite Soil
 Soil Erosion
Soil erosion: The detachment and
transportation of soil by agents of
denudation like weathering,running
water and wind is called Soil Erosion.
Causes of Soil Erosion:
Vegetation cover- The roots of the
plants hold the soil together. But due
to deforestation, the land is exposed to
the agents of denudation and suffers
erosion.
VEGETATION COVER
Anthropogenic Factors-Defective agricultural practice like
shifting cultivation lead to soil erosion. Similarly
Overgrazing and mining activities also contribute to soil
erosion.
Rainfall- Heavy rainfall also causes Soil erosion.
Topography-Hill slopes are more prone to soil erosion.
TYPES OF SOIL EROSION:
1- BY RUNNING WATER-
A-SHEET EROSION- Due to torrential downpour at the steep slopes, the top soil
is loosened up and leads to the removal of entire top soil cover.This is called
Sheet erosion.
Such erosion is common in the Himalayas,North-East India and the Nilgiri hills.
B-RILL EROSION: The swiftly flowing rivers cuts narrow channels on the ground
by removing the soil.These narrow channels are called Rills.Many such
channels make the land uneven and rugged.
C-GULLY EROSION- When the Rills grow deeper and wider they form Gullies.
Water gushes down in these gullies making them further deeper & wider
called Ravines. In these ravines, bed rock gets exposed and forms ‘’Badland
Topography’
Gully erosion is common in Chambal river valley in Madhya Pradesh and in
South-Eastern Rajasthan.
SHEET EROSION GULLY EROSION
D-Stream bank Erosion-
When the rivers overflow their banks and flood the
surrounding plains,the erosion caused is tremendous.
Such erosion is prevalent on the bank of River
Brahamaputra, Kosi, Chambal, Damodar & Ganga.
The extensive erosion from one bank and deposition on
the other leads to the shifting of river course.
E- Erosion by Waves-
Strong sea waves erode the sediments from cliffs and
coastlines and carry them back when they retreat.
Such type of erosion is prevalent in the entire eastern and
western coast of Indian Peninsula.
 Erosion

Gully Erosion Sheet Erosion

G
Sheet cum RILL Erosion
 2-Soil erosion by wind
•It occurs in the areas with little or no
vegetation such as Thar desert, Western
Rajasthan & South Punjab.Wind is the
powerful agent of denudation which blow
away fine particles of sand and deposit
them in other areas making them infertile.
•Human Factor- Settlements, cultivation,
overgrazing,deforestation.
OVERGRAZING BY CATTLES
 Soil Conservation
Soil conservation refers to the steps taken to protect the soil from erosion.
Soil Conservation-
Measures undertaken to prevent the loss and destruction of soil to
maintain the productivity of soil is called Soil conservation
Objectives:
1.Protection of the topsoil is the main objective of Soil Conservation.
2.It also aims at reclamation of soil which has been damaged over the years.
3.The restoration of soil fertility is the high priority of Soil conservation.
Need for Soil Conservation
Soil erosion renders the soil infertile & unproductive in the following ways:
• Loss of invaluable topsoil due to intensive farming over the years has caused
poor crop yield.
• Loosening of soils leads to sheet erosion. The sediments coming down the
slope fall into the river and raise the river beds that results in flash floods.
Landslides cause siltation in the dams or obstruct the flow of the river making
it overflow.
• The southern slopes of Shivalik range in Punjab & Himachal Pradesh lack forest
cover & hence are highly dissected by seasonal streams called Chos.
• In arid zones strong winds carry loose sand,pebbles,gravel
& weathered rock material and cause them settle as Sand
Dunes. Thus desertification is intensified.
• In semi-arid regions of Madhya Pradesh,Andhra Pradesh &
Karnataka overgrazing by Sheep & Goats leads to the
removal of vegetation cover and pulverisation of soil. Such
loose soil is washed away during rains making it
unproductive.
METHODS OF SOIL CONSERVATION
• Growing more trees and grass which bind the soil
and prevent it from getting eroded.
• Fallow land is vulnerable to agents of erosion.
Farmers should grow a cover crop after a harvest to
protect the soil.
• Counter Ploughing involves ploughing the land
perpendicular to the slope.This helps to capture
and hold the rainwater.
• Plugging of Gullies by plants,stones,rocks or
wooden logs.Over a period of time the gullies are
filled up with sediments.
• Construction of check dams across a stream and
rivers check the flow of water.
• Terraced Farming also regulates the flow of water.Low mud
walls are built along the edges of terraces to reduce
surface runoff.This is called Contour Bunding.
• Strip Cropping is growing field crops in narrow strips across
the slope to prevent erosion caused by wind and water.
• Crop Rotation is growing alternately soil exhausting & Soil
enriching varieties of Crops to maintain the fertility of Soil.
Multiple cropping involves growing soil exhausting & Soil
enriching varieties of crops together to replenish the
nutrients in the soil.
• Farmers should conserve grazing lands by limiting the time
of grazing animals in the pasture lands.
• Shelter belts- Rows of trees planted perpendicular to the
direction of winds to check the migration of sand dunes
from the desert area. It also can be used to check coastal
erosion.
Strip Cropping
Shelter belt
Terraced Farming
Contour Ploughing
Plugging gullies
SHELTER BELT
ROLE OF GOVERNMENT

• The primitive method of”slash & burn” or jhooming has

been much controlled in North-East parts of India.
• Indiscriminate cutting of forests has been legally banned.
Afforestation (NAP) programmes like Vanmahotsav are
undertaken on a large scale.
• Social forestry,agro-forestry and joint forest management
programmes are launched with people’s participation.
• Chipko movement is the best example of Social forestry
programme.
• Integrated watershed management has been adopted by
the Government of India for Soil Conservation.