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The Meaning of the Word “Soil”
On the surface of the earth, minute rock particles, trash, and organic elements, such as humus, combine over time to form soil, which is essential for plant growth and can be characterised in a straightforward manner.
Soil Classification – Urvara vs Usara
Even though the old classifications of the soil in India were not nearly as detailed as the classifications used today, they had been in use from ancient times.
When classifying objects in the ancient time, the only criteria that were taken into consideration were whether or not the soil was rich. Therefore, the categories are as follows:
Urvara [fertile]
Usara [sterile]
The Organizations Involved in the Classification of Soils
In recent times, when people first began to get an understanding of the numerous qualities that soil possesses, they began to categorise it according to factors such as its colour, moisture level, and texture.
When it was created in 1956, the Soil Survey of India began doing research on the soils of India and the features of those soils.
Numerous research on Indian soil was conducted by the National Bureau of Soil Survey and the Land Use Planning, both of which are institutes that fall under the purview of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research.
The primary division into which Indian soils fall
Principal types of soil found in India
Alluvial soil [43 percent]
The red soil [18.5 percent]
Black / regur soil [15 percent]
Arid / desert soil
Laterite soil
Saline soil
Soil that is peaty or swampy
Forest soil
Sub-mountain soil
Snowfields
Alluvial soil
The majority of the accessible soil in India, which accounts for around 43 percent and spans 143 square kilometres.
Common throughout the river basins and plains of the northern regions.
Deltas and estuaries are where you are most likely to find them in peninsular India.
There is a presence of humus, lime, and organic materials.
Extremely productive.
Indus-Ganga-Brahmaputra plain, Narmada-Tapi plain etc are examples.
They are a type of soil that forms as a result of rivers, streams, and other waterways transporting and depositing material.
The western part of the country has a higher proportion of sand than the eastern part.
Old alluvium is referred to as Bhangar, whereas more recent alluvium is referred to as Khadar.
Shades of light grey all the way to ash grey.
Sandy to silty loam or clay is the predominant texture.
Potash-containing; plentiful
Having a lack of phosphorus.
The primary crops grown include wheat, rice, maize, sugarcane, legumes, and oilseeds, among others.
The red earth
Mostly observed in areas with minimal annual precipitation.
Alternately referred to as the Omnibus group.
Porous, friable structure.
Kankar and lime are not present (impure calcium carbonate).
Lime, phosphate, manganese, nitrogen, humus, and potash are not present in sufficient amounts.
As a result of ferric oxide, the colour is red. The lower layer is either yellow or a yellowish-reddish colour.
Sandier to clayier and more loamy in texture.
It is possible to cultivate things like wheat, cotton, legumes, tobacco, oilseeds, potatoes, and so on.
Black dirt / regur soil
The word “regur” refers to cotton and refers to the ideal soil for growing cotton.
Black soil makes up the majority of the Deccan’s landscape.
Mature soil.
A high capacity for holding onto water.
When wet, it will swell and get sticky, but when it’s dry, it will shrink.
The black soil is characterised by the fact that it is capable of self-ploughing since, when dry, it develops broad fissures.
Rich in: Iron, lime, calcium, potassium, aluminium and magnesium.
Nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic materials are all absent from the sample.
The colour ranges from a very dark black to a lighter black.
Clay-like in its consistency.
Laterite soil
Name derived from the Latin word for brick, which is “later.”
Turn into something that is extremely soft when wet but extremely hard when dry.
In regions characterised by both high temperatures and heavy precipitation.
Resulting from a significant amount of leaching.
Lime and silica will be removed from the soil as a result of leaching.
Because of the high temperature, the bacteria in the soil will swiftly extract any organic matter that is present, and the humus will be quickly consumed by the trees and other plants. As a result, the amount of humus is low.
Iron and aluminium are found in abundance.
Shortcomings in the following nutrients: nitrogen, potash, potassium, lime, and humus
Coloring: Red colour owing to iron oxide.
The majority of the land is used for cultivating rice, ragi, sugarcane, and cashew nuts.
Desert / arid soil
Conditions ranging from arid to semi-arid have been observed.
Mostly brought down by the actions of the wind.
A significant amount of salt.
Insufficient amounts of moisture and humus.
Kankar, also known as impure calcium carbonate, has a high concentration, which makes it difficult for water to penetrate.
Nitrogen levels are unacceptable, whereas phosphate levels are typical.
Sandy is the texture.
The colour ranges from red to brown.
Soil that is peaty or marshy
Places that receive a lot of rain and have a lot of humidity.
Very little growth of vegetation may be seen.
A significant amount of decayed organic matter and humus, both of which contribute to the soil’s alkaline condition.
The earth is very heavy and has a dark colour.
Forest soil
Places that receive a lot of rain.
The lack of humus in the soil contributes to its acidic nature.
Mountain soil
In the hilly and mountainous parts of the nation.
Immature soil that is acidic and contains very little humus.
Conclusion
Ancient soils were categorised as Urvara (fertile) and Usara (sterile).
Vasily Dokuchaev initially classified soil. ICAR classifies India’s soils into 8 groups. It’s:
Alluvial Soil
Black Cotton Soil
Red & Yellow Soil
Laterite Soil
Mountainous or Forest Soil
Arid or Desert Soil
Saline and Alkaline Soil
Peaty and Marshy Soil
As mentioned before, there are eight types of soils categorized by ICAR but some Indian Soils like – Karewa soil, Sub-Montane Soil, Snowfield, Grey/Brown Soil are all subtypes of main Indian Soil.
