Soils and Crops

Soils: Facts to remember

Fact to remember	Type of Soil
The soil most common in Indo-gangetic plains	Alluvial Soil
The soil which swells when wet and develops cracks when dry	Black Soil
The soil which owes its colour to oxides of iron	Laterite Soil
The soil which requires least use of fertilisers	Alluvial Soil
The soil which requires least tilling because of its characteristic of self-ploughing	Black Soil
The kind of soil which is treated with gypsum to make it suitable for cropping	Alkaline soil
The soil which is poor in soluble salts	Laterite
The soil which is rich in surface accumulation of organic matter	Peaty soil
The soil which is most suitable for cultivation of cotton	Black Soil
Khadar and Bhangar are types of	Alluvial Soil
The soil which also known as Regur Soil	Black Soil
The soil which is generally unfit for cultivation	Laterite Soil
The soil which is commonly used for making bricks	Laterite Soil

Formation of Soils

Type of Soil	How formed
Alluvial Soil	By silt deposition brought by rivers.
Black Soil	By weathering of lava deposits on the Deccan Plateau.
Red and Yellow Soil	By weathering old crystalline or metamorphic rocks.
Laterite Soil	Due to leaching by heavy rains and destruction of humus by bacteria.
Arid Soil	By weathering of rocks in dry conditions.
Saline Soil	By salt deposition by tides, rivers or sea breeze.
Peaty Soil	Due to accumulation of larges amounts of organic matter in the soil.