Figure 24 – Major Soil types of India

♤ Forest Soil – it is formed in the mountain ranges of Himalayas, Purvanchal, Sahaydri etc. where sufficient rainfall is available. Soil is loamy and silty on valley sides and coarse- grained in the upper slopes. The lower valleys soil is fertile. On steep slopes, soil is very thin and less productive. This soil is spread over approximately 3 lakh sqkm area of the country.

♤ Saline Soil or Usara Soil – it contain a larger proportion of sodium, potassium and magnesium, and thus, they are infertile, and do not support any vegetative growth. They have more salts, largely because of dry climate and poor drainage. Their structure ranges from sandy to loamy. They lack in nitrogen and calcium. They are found in arid and semi- arid regions, western Gujarat, deltas of the eastern coast and in Sunderban areas of West Bengal. Seawater intrusions in the deltas promote the occurrence of saline soils. In the areas of intensive cultivation with excessive use of irrigation, especially in areas of green revolution, the fertile alluvial soils are becoming saline. In such areas, especially in Punjab and Haryana, farmers are advised to add gypsum to solve the problem of salinity in the soil.

♤ Peaty and Marshy Soil – it is found in areas of heavy rainfall and high humidity such as Kerala, Odisha, Bengal, Coastal areas of Tamil Nadu. Large quantity of dead organic matter accumulates in these areas, and this gives a rich humus and organic content to the soil. Organic matter in these soils may go even up to 40-50 per cent. The vegetation grows very dense in these areas. At many places, they are alkaline also due to presence of salt.