Test: Soils - UPSC MCQ

Arid soils range from red to brown in colour. They are generally sandy in structure and saline in nature.

Khadar soils are coarse grained soils deposited by the rivers.

In arid and semi-arid areas, efforts should be made to protect cultivable lands from encroachment by sand dunes through developing shelter belts of trees and agro-forestry. Lands not suitable for cultivation should be converted into pastures for grazing.

Arunachal Pradesh is located in the northeastern part of India and is known for its diverse topography, ranging from high mountains to deep valleys. Due to its mountainous terrain, the state has very little alluvial soil area.

Black soils are best for growing cotton. These soils are also known as the ‘Regur Soil’ or the ‘Black Cotton Soil’. The black soils are generally clayey, deep and impermeable.

A region with a large number of deep gullies or ravines is called a badland topography. Ravines are widespread in the Chambal basin. Besides this, they are also found in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The country is losing about 8,000 hectares of land to ravines every year.

Land with slope gradient 15-25% is not suitable for cultivation

Usara soil is also known as saline soil. It contains a large proportion of sodium, potassium and magnesium. It has salts largely because of the dry climate and poor drainage.

Alluvial soils are widespread in the northern plains and the river valleys. These soils coverabout 40 per cent of the total area of the country. Arunachal Pradesh has very little alluvial soil area.

Because in delta region fine silt is deposited by the rivers,it has most fertile soils.