Tag: abiotic resources: land, soil and water

According to their age alluvial soils can be classified as old alluvial (Bangar) and new alluvial (Khadar). The bangar soil has higher concentration of kanker nodules than the Khadar. It has more fine particles and is more fertile than the bangar.

Black soil is ideal for growing cotton and is also known as black cotton soil. The black soils are made up of extremely fine i.e. clayey material. They are well-known for their capacity to hold moisture. In addition, they are rich in soil nutrients, such as calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime. These soils are generally poor in phosphoric contents. 

Bhabar, Bangar, and Khadar are all types or regions of alluvial soil formed by river deposition. In contrast, Regur (black soil) is formed from the weathering of volcanic basalt rocks.

Maharashtra is dominated by the Deccan Trap, which consists of black soil (4). Uttar Pradesh lies in the fertile Indo-Gangetic plain, which is rich in alluvial soil (1). Karnataka has a large coverage of red soil (3), while Assam's hilly regions contain lateritic soil (2).

These soils are black in color and are also known as regur soils. Since black soil is ideal for growing cotton, it is also known as black cotton soil. It is believed that climatic conditions along with the parent rock material are the important factors for the formation of black soil

Mountain soils are found in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal in the Himalayan mountain regions. They are rich in humus and in the drier areas of deciduous forest belt, brown soils are found. They are very good for orchard crops.

These brown forest soils are called Podzol of deciduous forests.

Most desert soils are called Aridisols (dry soil). These are porous sandy soils with low nitrogenous matter and humus.

Great civilizations are flourished in the areas having alluvial soil and water bodies. Alluvial soils and irrigation facilities produce abundant crop yield.

Alluvium is a loose soil or sediments which are formed by erosion by rainwater. It is typically made of small particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel.

Most desert soils are called Aridisols (dry soil). These are porous sandy soils with low nitrogenous matter and humus. These are saline in nature too.

Deserts cover 20 to 33% of the Earth’s land surface, and can be found in the tropics, at the poles, and in between. Desert soils are formed where there is scanty rainfall.

Humus content of the soil is low because most of the micro organisms, particularly the decomposers like bacteria, get destroyed due to high temperature. Laterite soils are suitable for cultivation with heavy doses of manures and fertilizers.