Question

Which type of soil is found in the Deccan Plateau of India ?

Answer 1

Hint: The soils of Regur are primarily present in Central India and the Deccan Plateau. The land is sufficient for growing cotton. Calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, potash, and lime are rich in these soils.

Complete answer: It is also known as regur, the black dirt. These soils are black in color owing to the presence of iron, aluminum compounds and humus. They are extremely argillaceous. It is deep and impermeable, and therefore has a high water retention potential. Those other soils are rich in minerals and known for their fertility. The soil depth varies from place to place. It is very thin in the lowlands. In the upper reaches of Godavari and Krishna, and in the northwestern portion of the Deccan Plateau, the black soil seems to be very dense. These soils swell and become sticky when damp, and deep large cracks develop when dry. This helps with self-aeration, which leads to nitrogen accumulation in the atmosphere. There is, therefore, a type of self-plough. This extreme aeration and oxidation helps to maintain fertility in the low rainfall area for cotton production, even without irrigation. Due to slow absorption and loss of moisture, the black soil retains moisture for a very long time, which helps to sustain crops, especially rain-fed ones, even during the dry season. These soils are particularly fertile and well suited for the cultivation of cotton, pulses, millets, linseed, tobacco, sugar cane, vegetables and citrus fruit.

Note: Black soils in the southern and eastern parts of the country where rainfall is high are often located in close proximity to red soils. Low-level valleys and regions are covered by black soils, while red soils on higher slopes and hill tops are seen. Mixed black and red soils are present in Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu) and the Bundelkhand area.