INDIAN ALLUVIAL SOIL

1. Characteristics: • These soils are mainly derived from the debris brought down from the Himalayas or from the silt left out by the retreating sea. Their color varies from light grey to ash grey and the texture is sandy to silty loam. • These soils are both well drained These soils have an immature profile in undulating land while the flat lands have a more mature profile. The coastal allu­vial soils are of tidal origin and are poorly drained. Area Covered: • They also occur in the valleys of Narmada and Tapi in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat; Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh and Orissa; Godavari in Andhra Pradesh; Krishna in Karanataka and Andhra Pradesh and Kaveri in Tamilnadu. Along the coast of Kerala these are called coastal alluvium and in the deltas of the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri as deltaic alluvium. Crops Grown: • These soils are well suited to irrigation which helps in raising a number of crops like rice, jute, sugarcane, wheat, cotton, maize, oil seeds, fruits and vegeta­bles. These constitute the rice and wheat bowls of India and support large clusters of population. INDIAN ALLUVIAL SOIL

2. AREA • Large parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, eastern Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Orissa have red soil. CHARACTERISTICS • Red in color . • Deficient in nitrogen, lime, phosphoric acid and humus. • Rich in potash. • Porous, friable but not retentive of moisture. CROPS GROWN • Wheat, rice, millets, cotton, sugar cane and pulses. INDIAN RED SOIL

3. Characteristics:Black Regur soil is deep, fine-grained and vary in colour from black to chestnut brown. It has iron, potash, lime, calcium, alumina, magnesium, carbonates and humus. It is moisture-retentive and very sticky when wet. When it is dry, it hardens and forms deep cracks. • Distribution: Occurs mainly in the Deccan trap comprising the greater part of Gujarat and Maharashtra as also parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, southern Uttar Pradesh, north-west Odisha, western Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. • Crops Grown: Suitable for the growth of a large variety of kharif and rabi crops such as cereal, cotton, oilseeds, and sugar cane. The lower Ganga-Brahmaputra valley is useful for jute cultivation. BLACK REGUR SOIL

4. 1.Places Maharastra,Kerala, Karnataka, Assam, Madhya Pradesh,Orissa,Tamil Nadu, West Bengal 2. Crops grown Tea,Coffee,Cashewnut,Mango,Coconut 3. Characteristics of the soil Accumulation of sesquioxdies in top layer. Soil reaction is acidic . Poor base saturation . When dry it becomes hard & thus forms a useful building material. Crust formation near the surface , nodular concretion, induration. LATERITE SOIL

5. MOUNTAIN SOIL IN INDIAMountain soil is a type of soil found in mountaineous regions that flows down along the rivers to other non-mountaineous regions. AREA WHERE IT FOUND Mountain soils are mainly found in hill slopes and are formed by deposition of organic matter from woodlands and forests. Mountain soils are generally located in the dry and cold districts like Ladakh, Lahaul and Spiti District, Kinnaur District etc.Mountains soils are mostly found in the Himalayan regions, Sikkim,Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Kashmir and also in the Peninsula,Eastern Ghats and the summits of Sahyadris. CHARACTERISTICS OF SOIL The basic character of the mountain soils depend on the climate and are mainly found in the warm temperate belt or the cool temperate belt of the Himalaya Mountains. Brown forest soil is mainly found in the warm temperate belt lying at heights ranging from 900 to 1800 metres, which has deciduous forests. This belt comprises enough warmth for decomposition of vegetation. The typical brown forest soil of this zone is rich in humus and is deep. Further, mountains soils are rich in humus, slightly acidic and are fertile. Mountains soils are also deprived in lime and potash content. They are largely used for raising different varieties of crops. CROPS GROWN IN THIS SOIL Various types of crops are cultivated on mountain soil like coffee, tea, wheat, maize, barley, tropical fruits and various types of spices..