Which soil order occupies the largest area in India?

✅Explanation:
These are soils with a significant level of horizon development, often found in regions with moderate to high rainfall. Inceptisols occupy the largest area in India, particularly in regions with diverse climates and vegetation.

📌Other Options Explanations:
-(a) Entisol: These soils are found in areas with little to no horizon development, such as in recent alluvial deposits.
-(c) Vertisol: Vertisols are clay-rich soils that swell when wet and crack when dry. They are found in specific regions like parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
-(d) Alfisol: Alfisols are moderately fertile soils found in regions with more temperate climates.

🔑Key Points:

• 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. 

• 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.