Red soil areas in India

This broad word refers to India’s biggest soil category, which includes numerous lesser varieties. The erosion of old crystalline as well as metamorphic rocks has resulted in the formation of the majority of red soils.

Acidic granites as well as gneisses, and also quartzitic or even feldspathic materials, are the primary parent rocks. Such soils are mostly red, although they can also be brownish, chocolatey, yellowish, grayish, or perhaps even black. This red color has been caused by widespread dispersion instead of a significant proportion of iron concentration.

An overview of Red Soil

These red soils cover an area of around 3.5 lakh square kilometers, accounting for approximately 10.6 percentage of the nation’s overall geographical region. Such soils cover practically the whole state of Tamil Nadu, as well as sections of Karnataka, Mumbai’s south-east, eastern portions of Andhra Pradesh as well as Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, or even Chota Nagpur within Jharkhand.

This red soil region towards the north includes major areas of southern Bihar, West Bengal’s Birbhum as well as Bankura regions, Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur, Jhansi, Banda, or even Hamirpur localities, the Aravallis as well as the eastern portion of Rajasthan, and areas of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, as well as Meghalaya.

These red soils have been often low in calcium, magnesia, phosphorous, nitrogen, plus humus, but high in potassium. They are mostly siliceous as well as aluminous in basic composition; with loose quartz like sands, the alkali level is moderate, with certain portions being rather high in potassium.

The nature of such soils ranges from sandy to clay, with loams being one of the most common. These red soils of the upland regions are light, poor, as well as gravelly, gritty or stoney, extremely porous, and yet throughout the lower parts they seem to be rich, deep black, and fruitful.

These red soils react well to fertilizer and irrigation application and provide high returns of cotton, grains, rice, pulses, finger millet, nicotine, oil crops, potatoes, plus fruits.

Red soil is indeed a significant soil resource with significant consequences for agricultural development and economic prosperity. Red soil forms in damp climates beneath deciduous woodland and has light organic material layers above a golden brown leachable layer.

Red soils have been typically formed by crystalline rocks. They are often poorly developing soils, lacking in nutrients, therefore hard to cultivate due to their limited water carrying capacity. The primary mother rocks include crystalline as well as metamorphic rocks including such acidic granites, gneisses, or even quartzites.

The erosion of old crystalline as well as metamorphic rocks seems to be responsible for the large quantities of these red soils.

Where can you get red soil?

Red soil is mostly found in Tamil Nadu, Bombay, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, as well as Karnataka, encompassing nearly the whole territory of such states. This soil can also be discovered in regions of Odisha as well as West Bengal. Considering the massive area this covers, this represents India’s third biggest soil category. It has been created as a result of the breakdown of “metamorphosed rocks.”

These are materials that have experienced metamorphism, a procedure in which rocks have been subjected to extreme temperatures, causing physical plus chemical changes. When old rocks suffered physical and biochemical modifications as a result of different temperatures, they decomposed, resulting in red soil.

The name “red soil” comes from the fact that it is reddish owing to the increased iron concentration. Yet, due to insufficient iron levels in the soil, red soil can also be yellow or brown. It is divided into two types based on the process of creation of the soil.

Residual soils will be the first type of this red soil. It is possible that it is formed whenever rocks have been weathered as a result of moisture, weather, plus chemicals. After this kind of deterioration, the newly created soil particles may not be transferred to a distant area. This type of red soil has been known as residual soil.

Agriculture as well as red soil

When compared with the other groups, red as well as black soils have the lowest iron concentration. A substantial amount of minerals, especially iron, have previously been leached. This is not suitable for growing all vegetables. However, because of the nutritional level of such soil, a broad variety of crops may be cultivated. Crops which can be cultivated on it include fruits, potatoes, grains, nicotine, millets, lentils, rice, wheat, plus cotton.

Whereas the iron concentration is crucial for soil health, a shortage of phosphorus causes major problems for crops. As a result, farmers typically utilize biological manure to compensate for phosphorus deficit, allowing crops to develop appropriately. 

Farmers must be completely knowledgeable about the type of ground they may be dealing with because soil types change from location to location, plus even the grade of soils do not remain consistent everywhere.

Advanced educational efforts on what can be performed to enhance soil health, what types of fertilizers should be used, and so on have been required. Incorporating technology innovations wherever feasible inside the fields would also assist. The agriculture industry in the nation will undoubtedly grow as a result of such initiatives.

Types of red soil

Red soils throughout India have been additionally classified morphologically under two types: red loam soil as well as sandy red soils. Red loam soils have been generated when rocks such as granite, gneiss, carnotite, as well as diorite degenerates. Such soil is much less productive because it is very sensitive to leaching. Leaching occurs when rainfall percolates into the ground, causing various water-soluble minerals of that soil to soak through with this.

Red loam soil seems to be rich in potassium but low in minerals such as phosphorus, nitrate, and other biological matter. Sections of Kannada, Andhra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Imphal, and Nagaland have Red Loam. Whenever rocks such as granite, granite gneiss, quartz, as well as sandstone crumble, sandy red soil forms.

 This soil seems to be rich in hematite, limonite, as well as sesquioxide clay.

Hematite has been another of the oxidized iron that aids in plant development. Limonite is another iron oxides. Because of its chemical structure, it can bind phosphorus. 

Because phosphorus is indeed a crucial ingredient for root development, blooming, and seed formation, limonite has been required in large quantities within the soils. The clay’s hue ranges from red through yellow owing to the presence of hematite plus limonite.

Conclusion

The composition of these red soils might range from sands to clay, with loams becoming the most common. On the highlands, red soils seem to be poor, flinty, and porous, with light-colored soils suitable for growing food crops such as bajra. These are, moreover, rich, deep black, and productive in the lowest portions. Such soils are generally lacking in limestone, magnesia, calcium phosphate, nitrogen, carbon, and potassium. Intense leaching poses a threat to such soils. These would be distinguished by limited forest development and are well adapted to arid farming.