Question: The largest geographical area of India is covered by which one of the following types of soils?
Options:
Inceptisols
Entisols
Alfisols
Vertisols
• Inceptisols:
General characteristics:-
-These are usually the weakly developed young soil though they are more developed than entisols.
-Area (in Thousand Hectares): 130372.9
Percentage of the total area of India: 39.74.Â
• Entisols:
• General characteristics:
-Usually young or underdeveloped. Lack vertical development of horizons. These are less fertile soils.
-Area (in Thousand Hectares): 92131.71
-Percentage of the total area of India: 28.08
• Alfisols:
• General characteristics:
-Pale, greyish brown to reddish in color with moderate-to-high reserves of basic cations and are fertile. Although their productivity depends on moisture and temperature. They are supplemented by the moderate application of lime and other chemical fertilizers.
-Area (in Thousand Hectares): 44448.68
-Percentage of the total area of India: 13.55
• Vertisols:
• General characteristics:
-These are expandable clay soils, formed of more than 30% clays. Vertisol clays are black when wet and become iron-hard when dry. When drying, Vertisols crack, and the cracks widen and deepen as the soil dries; this produces cracks 2 to 3 cm wide. These are productive soils. The regur soils of India are an example of vertisols.
-Area (in Thousand Hectares): 27960
-Percentage of the total area of India: 8.52.