Major Soil Groups of India
Geography › Indian Monsoon, Climate, Vegetation and Soils · Topic 16.8
India's soils are grouped into alluvial, black, red, laterite, forest and mountain, arid and desert, saline and alkaline, and peaty and marshy soils. Alluvial soils cover about 45.6 per cent of the area and support more than 40 per cent of the population, black soils about 16.6 per cent, and red soils about 10.6 per cent. Each group has its own origin, region, fertility and crops.
6 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Indian Monsoon, Climate, Vegetation and Soils
At a Glance
- Alluvial About 45.6 per cent; plains; rice and wheat
- Black About 16.6 per cent; Deccan; cotton
- Red About 10.6 per cent; peninsula
- Laterite About 2.5 lakh sq km; Ghats; plantations
- Forest and mountain About 8.7 per cent
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Indian Monsoon, Climate, Vegetation and Soils
Where Does It Fit?
This is the last topic of the macro on the Indian monsoon, climate, vegetation and soils. The previous topic explained how soils form, and this one describes the eight soil groups of India. The next macro begins the study of human geography. Previous topic: Factors of Soil Formation in India. Next topic: Human Geography – Nature, Scope and Approaches.
What Are the Main Soil Groups of India?
| Soil | Origin and area | Features | Region and crops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alluvial | Deposits of the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra; about 15 lakh sq km, 45.6 per cent of the area | Immature with weak profiles; mostly loamy; porous and well-drained; low in nitrogen but adequate in potash, phosphoric acid and lime; replenished by floods; khadar is new and bhangar old | The northern plains and east coast deltas, and the valleys of the Narmada and Tapti; rice, wheat, sugarcane, jute, cotton, oilseeds and maize |
| Black (regur) | Weathered Deccan basalt; about 5.46 lakh sq km, 16.6 per cent | Clayey, very retentive of moisture; swells when wet and cracks when dry, so is self-ploughing; dark from titaniferous magnetite; rich in lime, iron, magnesia and alumina but poor in nitrogen, phosphorus and humus | Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu; cotton, soybean, sorghum, wheat, sunflower and citrus |
| Red | Crystalline rocks such as granite and gneiss; about 3.5 lakh sq km, 10.6 per cent | Red from diffused iron oxide; loamy to sandy and light; acidic; poor in nitrogen, humus, lime and phosphate; does not retain water | Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, the north-east and Aravallis; millets, pulses, groundnut, rice and cotton with irrigation |
| Laterite and lateritic | Intense leaching under heavy rain and heat; about 2.48 lakh sq km | Hard when dry; rich in iron and aluminium oxides; poor in lime, nitrogen, potash and humus; Latin later means brick, and it is cut into bricks | Western Ghats summits, Eastern Ghats, Rajmahal, the Malwa plateau, Keralam (Kerala), Karnataka and Assam; tea, coffee, rubber, cashew and coconut with manure |
| Forest and mountain | Hill slopes under forests; about 2.85 lakh sq km, 8.67 per cent | Heterogeneous, rich in humus but acidic and deficient in potash, phosphorus and lime; thin on steep slopes | The Himalayan valleys and north-facing slopes, the Ghats; tea, coffee, spices in the south, wheat, maize, barley and temperate fruits in the Himalaya |
| Arid and desert | Windblown sand; about 1.42 lakh sq km, 4.3 per cent | 90 to 95 per cent sand; low in humus; alkaline, with soluble salts and lime; calcium increases with depth; fertile with water | Rajasthan, parts of Punjab and Haryana, Gujarat; millets, barley, pulses and cotton, and with irrigation, wheat and mustard |
| Saline and alkaline | Poor drainage, high water table or irrigation; about 68,000 sq km | Surface crust of salts; called reh, kallar or usar; infertile and unfit for agriculture | Canal-irrigated Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, parts of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka; the Gulf of Khambhat estuaries and the coastal deltas |
| Peaty and marshy | Heavy rain, high humidity and waterlogging with accumulation of organic matter | Black, heavy and highly acidic, with a high organic content and soluble salts | Kuttanad in Kottayam and Alappuzha in Keralam (Kerala), the Sundarbans, coastal Odisha and Tamil Nadu, and Uttarakhand; rice with drainage |
What Do the Soils Mean for Crops and Regions?
- Alluvial soils: the farm base of India, which supports more than 40 per cent of the population. The newer khadar is more fertile than the older bhangar, with kankar nodules.
- Black soils: they hold moisture, so cotton can be grown with little irrigation. They are sticky in the rainy season and hard to plough, but they have been cropped for centuries with little decline in fertility.
- Red and laterite soils: they need manure and irrigation; laterites support plantation crops and are used in building as laterite stone.
- Mountain and forest soils: they allow plantation and orchard crops but are prone to erosion when the forest is cleared, as in Natural Vegetation of India.
- Soil crop match: rice on alluvial and peaty soils, cotton on black soil, millets on red and desert soils, tea and coffee on laterite and forest soils.
How Are Indian Soils Under Threat?
Alluvial soils are losing nutrients and suffering from salinity, waterlogging and groundwater depletion in the irrigated north-west; black soils suffer from erosion and gullying; red and laterite soils from the leaching of nutrients and erosion on slopes; saline and alkaline soils are spreading with irrigation, in the canal commands of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, and with sea water intrusion in cyclones and storm surges on the coasts, as in Coastline of India – Emergence and Submergence. Degraded land is estimated at nearly 30 per cent of the country by the national space agency’s atlas, and India has committed to restoring 26 million hectares by 2030 under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and uses programmes such as the Soil Health Card and watershed development to respond, as in Soil Types and Soil Profile.
The ICAR and the National Bureau of Soil Survey also map Indian soils in the international Soil Taxonomy system of the United States Department of Agriculture, in which the Inceptisols and Entisols, young soils with weak horizons, together make up the largest share of the country, while Vertisols correspond to black soils and Alfisols to many red soils. As an analytical point, matching crop and soil, and not only increasing inputs, is a cheap way to raise yields and cut the use of water and fertiliser: cotton and soybean on black soil, millets and pulses on red and desert soils, and plantation crops on laterite, instead of rice and wheat everywhere.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Core topic Soil groups asked every year
- Link Crops and regions
- Issue Degradation and restoration
What Came Next?
The next macro begins the study of human geography, starting with its nature, scope and approaches. Next topic: Human Geography – Nature, Scope and Approaches.
Key People and Terms
- Alluvial soil River-deposited fertile soil
- Regur Black cotton soil
- Laterite Brick-like leached soil
- Reh Saline efflorescence
- Khadar New alluvium
- Bhangar Old alluvium
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Alluvial soils cover 45.6 per cent of India.
- Black soil is regur, best for cotton.
- Red colour comes from iron oxide.
- Later means brick in Latin.
- Saline soils are called reh, kallar or usar.
Do Not Confuse With
- Red and laterite soils Crystalline rock versus intense leaching
- Black and alluvial soils Basalt-derived versus river-borne
- Saline and desert soils Salt crust versus sand
Memory Hook
Alluvium feeds the plains, regur holds the cotton, red lies on granite, laterite is brick, desert is sand, and salt kills.
Mains Angle
Questions ask for features and crops of each group. These points add depth.
- Origin Rock and climate
- Use Crop matching
- Threat Salinity and erosion
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Describe the major soil groups of India, with their distribution and suitable crops, and discuss the problem of soil salinity.”
How to Answer
- Groups Eight soil groups.
- Features Origin, nutrients.
- Crops Soil-crop match.
- Problems Salinity and erosion.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the major soil groups of India?
The major soil groups of India are alluvial, black, red, laterite, forest and mountain, arid and desert, saline and alkaline, and peaty and marshy soils. Alluvial soils are the largest group, covering about 45.6 per cent of the country, followed by black soils at about 16.6 per cent and red soils at about 10.6 per cent.
Why is black soil good for cotton?
Black soil, or regur, formed from Deccan basalt, is clayey and retains moisture for a long time, which cotton needs, and it is rich in lime, iron and magnesia. It swells when wet and cracks when dry, which aerates it, so cotton is grown on it with little irrigation in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
How is laterite soil formed?
Laterite soil forms in regions of high temperature and heavy rainfall with alternating wet and dry seasons. Heavy rain leaches away lime and silica, leaving a hard soil rich in iron and aluminium oxides that is poor in nutrients, but suitable for plantation crops like tea, coffee, rubber and cashew with manure.
Where are alluvial soils found and why are they fertile?
Alluvial soils are found across the Indo-Gangetic-Brahmaputra plains and in the deltas of east-flowing rivers. They are formed from silt deposited by rivers, are loamy and porous, rich in potash and lime, and are renewed by floods, so they are the most productive soils of India, supporting rice, wheat and sugarcane.
What are saline and alkaline soils and where are they found?
Saline and alkaline soils are soils with a surface crust of salts, called reh, kallar or usar in different places, formed where drainage is poor or the water table is high, particularly under canal irrigation. They are infertile and are found in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, parts of the Deccan and coastal areas.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Black soils are best suited for cotton cultivation.
They retain moisture and are rich in lime.
2 Laterite soils are rich in humus and nitrogen.
They are poor in nutrients owing to leaching.
3 Alluvial soils occupy the largest area among Indian soils.
About 45.6 per cent.
4 Red soils owe their colour to the presence of iron oxide.
They form on crystalline rocks.
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