What are the different types of soil found in india? write five characteristics of each?

Indian soils are generally divided into four broad types. These soil types are: 1) alluvial soils; 2) regur soils; 3) red soils and 4) laterite soils.ALLUVIAL SOILS:This is the most important and widespread category. It covers 40% of the land area. In fact the entire Northern Plains are made up of these soils. They have been brought down and deposited by three great over the Himalayan rivers- Sutlej, Ganga and Brahmaputra- and their tributaries. Through a narrow corridor in Rajasthan they extend into the plains of Gujarat. They are common in eastern coastal plains and in the deltas of Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri.REGUR SOILS:These soils are black in colour and are also known as black soils. Since, they are ideal for growing cotton, they are also called cotton soils, in addition to their normal nomenclature of regur soils. These soils are most typical of the Deccan trap (Basalt) region spread over north-west Deccan plateau and are made up of lava flows. They cover the plateaus of Mahrashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa and southern Madhya Pradesh and extends eastwards in the south along the Godavari and Krishna Valleys.RED SOILS:These soils are developed on old crystalline rocks under moderate to heavy rainfall conditions. They are deficient in phosphoric acid, organic matter and nitrogenous material. Red soils cover the eastern part of the peninsular region comprising Chhotanagpur plateau, Orissa, eastern Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, the Nilgiris and Tamil Nadu plateau. Tey extended northwards in the west along the Konkan coast of Maharashtra.LATERITE SOILS:The laterite soils is the result of intense leaching owing to heavy tropical rains. They are found along the edge of plateau in the east covering small parts of Tamil Nadu, and Orissa and a small part of Chhotanagpur in the north and Meghalaya in the north-east.

Alluvial soils are scattered throughout the country and is the most widespread category.These soils cover 40% of the entire land area in India. This soil covers an area of 15 lakh sq km in India and mainly contributes in the development of agriculture. They form around the lower courses of most rivers around the country and particularly all over the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The entire Northern Plains consists of Alluvial soils. These soils are also extended into the plains of Gujarat and are also found in the eastern coastal plains as well.

They are by far the largest and the most important soil group of India. They are composed of sediments deposited by rivers and the waves. Their chemical composition makes them one of the most fertile in the world. Usually deficient in nitrogen and humus (thus fertilizers are needed).Occupy the plains (from Punjab to Assam) and also occur in the valleys of Narmada and Tapti in M.P. Gujarat, Mahanadi in the MP and Orissa, Godawari in A.R and Cauvery in T.N