Laterite and Other Soil Types of India

Laterite Soil

Laterite covers about 8% of India, found mainly in high-rainfall regions with alternate wet and dry seasons. The word laterite comes from Latin later (brick) — it hardens when exposed to air and is used for brickmaking.

Formation

• Formed by intensive leaching under tropical monsoon conditions (heavy rain followed by high temperatures)
• Silica is leached out; iron and aluminum oxides remain
• The process is called laterization

Distribution

Characteristics

Crops and Uses

• Good for tea, coffee, rubber, cashew, coconut (in hilly areas)
• When well- manured: rice, ragi, groundnut
• Used as building material — bricks for construction in villages
• Bauxite (aluminum ore) often associated with laterite soils

Arid (Desert) Soils

Cover about 5% of India, found mainly in Rajasthan, parts of Haryana and Gujarat.

• Formed from sand deposited by wind and transported material
• Sandy texture; low moisture retention
• Rich in soluble salts; may contain gypsum and lime
• Deficient in nitrogen and humus
• Saline in depressions (reh, usar, kallar soils)
• Crops: drought-resistant millets (bajra), pulses, guar (cluster bean), some kharif crops with irrigation
• Indira Gandhi Canal has brought large areas under cultivation

Saline and Alkaline Soils (Usar)

Cover about 7% of India, mainly in:

• Indo-Gangetic plains: parts of UP, Haryana, Punjab, Bihar
• Rann of Kutch, coastal Gujarat
• Deltaic regions: Sundarbans, Godavari-Krishna deltas
• Major problem: high salt content — poor drainage, waterlogging, capillary rise
• Requires leaching, drainage, gypsum treatment, and salt-resistant crops
• Crops: rice (in coastal), barley, cotton (tolerant varieties)

Peaty and Marshy Soils

Cover limited areas in:

• Kerala (Kuttanad region — rice cultivation below sea level)
• West Bengal (Sundarbans delta)
• Coastal Odisha and Andaman islands
• Very high organic matter (40-70%) due to waterlogging preventing decomposition
• Dark colored, acidic
• Crops: rice, jute, betel vine (Kerala)

Forest and Mountain Soils

Cover extensive areas occupying the forested hills and mountains of the country:

• Himalayan region: Immature soils; shallow, stony, acidic
• Western Ghats: Deep lateritic soils under forest cover
• North-eastern hills: Red loamy or lateritic; generally acidic
• Varied characteristics based on topography, parent material, and vegetation
• Generally rich in organic matter (forest litter)
• Crops: Shifting cultivation (jhum) yields rice, maize, vegetables in NE hills; temperate fruits, tea in Himalayas

Soil Classification Summary