In India, the maximum area is covered by which type of soil?

🔑 Key Points
→ Laterite soil is rich in iron oxide and derived from a variety of rocks weathering under strongly oxidizing and leaching conditions.
→ Laterite soil forms in tropical and subtropical regions where the climate is humid.
→ It contains the iron oxide minerals goethite, lepidocrocite, and hematite.
→ Laterite soils contain titanium oxides and hydrated oxides of aluminum.
→ The aluminum-rich in laterite soil representative of laterite is bauxite.
→ Laterite soil has commonly found in the colors red, yellow, and brown.
→ In India, laterite soil is widespread, covering over 10% of the total geographical area.
→ It is found in Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Jharkhand.

🌾 Soil Types, Areas, and Crops

🌱 Red Soil
→ Area: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Southern Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Orissa
→ Crops: Cotton, Tobacco, Wheat, Potatoes, and Fruits.
📝 Additional Information:
→ High iron content gives it a red color.
→ Deficient in nitrogen, humus, phosphoric acid, magnesium, and lime; rich in potash.
→ Forms from iron-rich sedimentary rock, generally poor in nutrients and difficult to cultivate.

🌻 Yellow Soil
→ Area: Orissa and Chhattisgarh
→ Crops: Sugarcane, Rice, Corn, Mangoes, and Oranges.
📝 Additional Information:
→ Formed under broad-leaved forests from clayey shales.
→ Acidic reaction and low humus content; yellow color due to ferric hydroxide.
→ Types include Yellow soil, Yellow podzolic soil, Yellow gley soil, and Yellow podzolic gley soil.

🌾 Black Soil
→ Area: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh
→ Crops: Groundnuts, Cotton, Wheat, Jowar, and Chillies.
📝 Additional Information:
→ Found in lava-covered areas, also called Lava Soil or Regur.
→ Commonly associated with cotton cultivation.
→ Spread across interior Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh on the Deccan lava plateau and Malwa Plateau with moderate rainfall and basaltic rock.