Question

Give geographical reasons for the following.
Laterite soil is not suitable for cultivation.

Answer 1

Hint: Soil is a mixture of rock and debris and organic materials which develop on the surface of the earth. It is the most natural resource and sustains plants, animals and humans.

Complete Step by Step Answer: Laterite soils have been formed in the regions of heavy rainfall due to the leaching process. These regions include Sahyadris in the Western Ghats, Chota Nagpur Plateau, part of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Later soils are subdivided into two categories - laterite soils of upper regions and laterite soils of lower regions, of which the lower region is comparatively more fertile.

Laterite soils are full of gravel. They are layered and porous. Hence they are less fertile. They contain iron, aluminium, manganese and titanium in abundant quantities making them mineral-rich but are generally not fertile for cultivation.

The reasons why the laterite soil is not suitable for cultivation is because
- The region receives high rainfall and has a really high temperature which results in less humus content in the soil, not suitable for cultivation.
- Laterite soil is acidic in nature and has less water-retaining capacity.
- The soil lacks nitrogen, potash, urea and phosphoric acid and contains more iron, aluminium, manganese making it not fit for cultivation purposes.
- The soil consists of gravel, making the texture of the soil coarse.

Soil fertility totally depends upon the presence of proper nutrients, fine soil texture, a large number of soil organisms. The laterite soil lacks all these factors, thus making it not suitable for agricultural purposes.

Note: The laterite soils have mostly developed in the higher regions of the Peninsular plateau of India. It is commonly found in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and in some of the hilly areas of Assam and Orissa.