Tag: abiotic resources: land, soil and water

Red soil is a type of soil that develops in a warm, temperate, moist climate under deciduous or mixed forest, having thin organic and organic-mineral layers overlying a yellowish-brown leached layer resting on an illuvium red layer. Red soils are generally derived from crystalline rock. They are usually poor growing soils, low in nutrients and humus and difficult to cultivate because of its low water holding capacity. Red soils are an important resource.

Laterite soil is suitable to grow Coffee, rubber & tea.

 The burning of fossil fuels like coal natural gas, petroleum in automobiles, industries and thermal plants leads to increase in air pollution.

Bacteria and fungi carry out the decomposition of plant residues, breaking them down and holding the nutrients in their bodies, this prevents the nutrients leaching out into the soil. They hold the nutrients until the nutrients are consumed- by protozoa, nematodes and then release the remaining nutrients in plant available form.

Soil is a complex mixture, having five components: (i) mineral matter - 45%, organic matter - 5%, water - 25%, air - 25% and living organisms. All these components are essential for plant growth.

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

This is the most widely spread and important soil. Alluvial soils as a whole are very fertile. Mostly these soils contain adequate proportion of potash, phosphoric acid and lime. Due to its high fertility, regions of alluvial soils are intensively cultivated and densely populated. 

These have been deposited by three important Himalayan river systems– the Indus and the Ganga (Indo-Gangetic river system).