1554 words free sample essay on Soil

Soil is an integral part of land wealth. It has a great importance in day-to-day human life. Agricultural products depend on fertility of soil. Fertile soil and more food production influence the density of population.

The uppermost layer of the earth’s crust is more deniable and the rocks of this layer turn into small particles as a result of denudation and weathering. These small particles mingle with various organic and inorganic materials and by chemical actions turn into soil.

So the formation of soil of any place depends on the rocks, climate, relief, vegetation and activities of man and animals of that place. But the influence of the local rocks and climatic influences of the place play a vital role in formation of soil because soils vary according to the local rocks and amount of rainfall. The colors of soils vary because of different organic particles and ferric acid present in it.

The Agricultural Research Organisation of India has mentioned 27 different types of soils available in India.

Those are divided into 8 main groups, such as: Alluvial soil, Black cotton soil, Red and Yellow soil, Lateritic soil, Forest soil, Desert soil, Saline soil and Peaty and other Organic soils.

These soils are also divided into two types according to their mode of formation, such as, Residual soils and Transported soils. The soil formed by disintegration of the uppermost part of the rocks by different means is known as the Residual soil and this soil has close relationship with the base rock beneath it. Red, Yellow, Black, Lateritic, Pool, Saline and Acidic soils come under residual soils. Alluvial soil, desert soil, and the forest soils of the northern mountainous regions come under Transported soils. Alluvial soil, black soil, Red soil and Lateritic soil occupy about more than 80% of the total land area of the country and these are the whole of the farm lands of India. Of course, the desert soil and forest soil cover more areas, but these are not so much suitable for agriculture.

Alluvial Soil:

This is a very important soil of India and about 24% of the total land surfaces are covered with this type of soil. These are the soils formed by way of transportation and deposition of sediments by the rivers in different river valleys, coastal plains and river deltas. This soil is very fertile and most suitable for agriculture.

Two types of alluvial soils are found in the Gangetic plains of the north. Those are the newer alluvium or, Khadar and the older alluvium of Bhangar. The Khadar type of soil is generally sandy in texture and it occurs in the river-beds, but the Bhangar type of soil is of more clayey in composition and darker in color. It is found in the river-basins.

In some parts of the Gangetic plains a type of soil full of lime nodules is found. It is known as Kankar which is found a little away from the river banks. The sub-montage belt along the Siwalik foot hills is composed of alluvial fans with coarse soils. The zone is called Bhabar. To its south occurs the swampy lowland with silty soils known as Teri soils. In many areas of north-west Rajasthan and southern parts of Punjab and Haryana wind-borne fertile soils known as Loess is found. This type of soil does not contain organic materials and nitrogen to a great extent but contains potassium and lime for which it is quite suitable for growing cereals, oil seeds, sugar-cane, jute and vegetables. Soils in the deltas and the lower valleys of the Brahmaputra, Narmada, Tapti, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Knavery are mainly composed of alluvium. Besides, deltaic alluvium occurs in the deltas of the rivers of the east coast and coastal alluvium in the Malabar and Konkan coasts of the west coast.

Black Cotton Soil:

It belongs in the tropical black soil on cherrozem category of soil. As this soil has been formed out of igneous rocks like lava and basalt, it contains iron in minute particles. So it is black in color and very much suitable for the cultivation of cotton. It is therefore, called the black cotton soil or Regur. These soils have developed mainly over the Deccan Plateaus. Black cotton soil occurs in a triangular region formed by joining Nagpur in the north-east Hubli in the south and Pune in the north-west.

In addition to it, this type of soil is also found in some areas of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu. Such type of soil lacks in nitrogen, phosphoric acid and organic contents. But it contains potassium lime, aluminum, calcium. Magnesium etc. to a great extent. It is very fertile with water-retentive quality and so it is ideally suitable for cotton-growing.

Red Soil:

This soil is formed out of red loams and yellow earths and derived from crystalline and metamorphic rocks rich in Ferro-magnesium minerals. So its colour is red. This soil occupies the peninsula reaching up to Rajamahal Hills in the east, Jhansi in the north and Kuchcha in the west. This type of soil is of two types, such as, ‘red loam soils’ and ‘red gravelly soils’. Red loam soils contain sand and clay and it has less water retentive capacity whereas red gravelly soils contain pebbles instead of sand. It is deficient in nitrogen, humus, .phosphoric acid and lime and so it is suitable for potato and sugar-cane cultivation.

Lateritic Soil:

This soil is formed under conditions of high rainfall and temperature with alternate wet and dry climates. Owing to profuse rain­water leaching, much of silica is washed away leaving behind the mixture of hydrated oxides of aluminum and iron. The soil consists of masses of iron oxides in nodular form which turns black after exposure to rain-water.

Usually laterite soils are poor in nitrogen, phosphoric acid, potash, lime and magnesia. So it is of low fertility, but it readily responds to manuring to be suitable for a variety of crops particularly rice, ragi (rasi) and sugar-cane. Laterite soil occurs in the Deccan Plateau, Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, the Vindhyas and Rajmahal Hills.

Such type of soil found in the upper levels of hills is known as high level laterite and at lower levels it is known as low level laterite. This type of soil also occurs in some areas of Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Orissa, Bihar, Meghalaya and West Bengal.

Forest Soil:

The forest soil is characterized by the deposition of organic matter derived from forests. Humus predominates in the forest soil and it is rawer at higher levels leading to high acidic conditions for which it is known as Pool type of soil. But at lower levels or in low lands, it is less acidic and known as brown earth. The Himalayas and the other ranges in the North, the Western and the Eastern Ghats and the Peninsula have forest soil. This soil of the hilly districts of Assam and Meghalaya has a high content of organic matter and nitrogen.

A large part of the terrain tract at the foot the Himalayas is covered with forest soil. Forest soil is deficient in potash, phosphoric acid and lime. It is much suitable for agriculture when properly manured. Plantations of tea, coffee, spices, tropical fruits, maize, barley etc, are raised on such type of soil.

Arid and Desert Soil:

This soil is formed under arid (dry) and semi-arid conditions. This soil often has a high soluble salt content and sand and very low humus content. So it is not fertile. It has very low moisture content also. Though rich in phosphate, it is poor in nitrogen.

Different kinds of crops are raised on desert soil wherever water supply is provided. Usually this type of soil occurs in the entire area of the west Aravalli range in Rajasthan. I.e. in the Thar Desert the soil also extends to the southern districts of Haryana and Punjab in the north and the Ran of Kutch in the south. The Ganganagar district of Rajasthan, where canal irrigation by the Indira Gandhi Canal has been introduced in recent years, has become a leading producer of cereals and cotton in the desert soil.

Saline Soil:

Saline soil is available in the arid and semi-arid climate of the States of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar etc. and in the coastal strips. A huge amount of calcium and magnesium salts (chloride) are mingled with this type of soil. This type of soil is named as Rid, Keller and User at different places. This soil is not fertile and crops can’t be grown in it owing to excess of salt.

Peaty and other Organic Soil:

Peaty soils have developed under humid conditions as a result of an accumulation of large amounts of organic matters. These soils are highly saline, rich in organic matter but deficient in phosphate and potash. Marshy soils with a high quantity of vegetable matter frequently occur in the coastal areas of Orissa, West Bengal and Tamilnadu and in some areas of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Soil Erosion and Conservation:

Soil erosion is caused mainly owing to excessive deforestation, overgrazing and heavy rainfall. The Government of India is taking various steps as measures for soil conservation. Extensive afforestation, massive plantation, terrace cultivation in hilly areas, raising grasslands etc. are the effective measures to protect soil from erosion.