Uttar Pradesh: Soil | Course for UPPSC Preparation - UPPSC (UP) PDF Download

Soils of Uttar Pradesh 

• The Bhabar is about 8-16 km wide running along the Shiwalik foothills. Rivers descending from the Himalayas deposit their load along the foothills in the form of alluvial fans (often pebbly soil). This soil is very shallow. 
• This region is not suitable for agriculture as the soil of this region is porous (permeable). Only big trees with large roots thrive in this region. 

Soil of Terai Region 

• This region is running parallel to the South of Bhabar and composed of newer alluvium. It is about 15-30 km wide. The underground streams of the Bhabar region re-emerge in this belt and make it swampy lowland with silty soils. 
• The soil of Terai region is rich in nitrogen and organic matter but is deficient in phosphate. The soil is generally covered by tall grasses and forest but it is suitable for a number of crops such as wheat, rice, sugarcane, jute, etc. 
• Terai belt is the zone of sand and clay soils. 

Soil of Gangetic Plains 

• The vast Gangetic plains have been developed in Quaternary period and as a result of sedimentary deposition by rivers. In this region alluvial soil is found. 
• Alluvial soils is typically made of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt, clay and larger particles of sand and grave (Kankar). 
• The chemical composition of the alluvial soil makes this group of soils as one of the most fertile in the world. 
• In the alluvial soil, nitrogen and fossil are generally low but potash, phosphoric acid and alkalis are adequate, while iron oxide and lime vary within a wide range. 

On the basis of newer and older, alluvial soil is divided into two parts:
Bangar Soil

• It covers the largest part of the plain.
• It is found in those high plain regions which are free from flood water. It is not very fertile in nature due to calcareous deposits locally known as Kankar and it has a low upland covered by laterite deposits. 
• It is old and matured alluvial soil as it is not renewed frequently as compared to Khadar soil. 
• It is known by various names like loam, clay, sandy loam, bhur, clayey loam, etc. 
• The fertility of this soil has been lost due to continuous use of this soil for agriculture since ancient times. Thus, this soil needs more fertilisers to practice agricultural activities. 
• This soil lacks in nitrogen and phosphorous due to intensive agriculture and unorganised management.

Khadar Soil

• This soil is found in flood plains region of Uttar Pradesh. It is fine, light brown colour, porous and having capacity of water retention as compared to Bangar soil. 
• It is very suitable for the extensive cultivation because it does not contain calcareous deposits of calcium. The soil is frequently renewed because of frequent flooding thus it does not need manure. It is made of new alluvium and fine granules (particles). 
• The soil is also known by different names like sandy, sandy silt, loam, clay or clayey loam. Lime, potash, magnesium and organic matter are found in this soil.

Bhur and Desert Soil
Bhur is the elevated piece of land between 10 to 20 feet high which was formed during Pleistocene sand deposits. It is found along the banks of the Ganga river especially in the upper Ganga-Yamuna Doab. The soil of Bhur is not sandy in nature but is formed by a mix-up of light sandy-loam soil.
Arid and Desert soil consists of Aeolian sand and clay. It is almost poor in organic matter. It contains calcium carbonate, phosphate and nitrogen. The soil is found in the Western districts, Mathura, Agra, Aligarh, etc of Uttar Pradesh. Mainly crops like barley, cotton, millets, maize and pulses are grown in this soil.  

Soils of Western, Eastern and Central Ranges of Gangetic Region 

• The gangetic region is also divided into western, central and eastern ranges. 
• In the western region the soil is mostly dark grey in colour and loam to sandy loam in nature. Deep and fertile soils are found in the plain areas of this region i.e. Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar and Meerut districts. Heavy loam soils are found in Eastern parts i.e. Bareilly, Bijnor, Pilibhit and Moradabad.
• Sandy loam soils are found in the entire central region. Whereas the North-Eastern part (Kheri and Sitapur districts) has loam or sandy loam soil which are slightly acidic in nature. 
• The Eastern part of the Gangetic plains has three types of soils, Bhat, Banjar and Dhuh. Bhat is rich in lime. It is low lying and sandy loam in nature. Dhuh soil is an inundated soil which is found along the river-banks. 
• The North-Western part of this region is considered as phosphatic deficient belt. 
• Soils which are found in Jaunpur, Azamgarh and Mau districts are deficient in potash. 
• The dry part of this region have soil which is known as ‘usar’ and ‘reh’. This soil is found in Aligarh, Etah, Etawah, Sitapur, Unnao, Kanpur, Mainpuri, Raibareli and Lucknow districts of Uttar Pradesh.  

Soil of Southern Plateau 

• The Southern plateau is also known as Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand region. It was made up in the Pre-Cambrian period. 
• The soil found in the these regions is called Bundelkhand soil. 
• It lies just South of Ganga and occupies the entire Southern zone of the state. 
• The soil is distinctly different from each other because of physical and chemical changes.
• Wheat, Sorghum, Bajra, Gram and Arhar are the important crops which are grown in this soil. Soils found in the Southern plateau region are as follows: 

Red Soil 

• It is formed by weathering of red sandstone rocks. Due to the presence of iron oxide, the colour of soil is red. The parent materials of the red soil are crystalline and metamorphic rocks like acid granites, gneisses and quartzite. 
• The soil is found mainly in Mirzapur, Southern part of Allahabad, Sonbhadra, Jhansi, Banda, Hamirpur and Chandauli. This soil is found in the water logging area of river Betwa and Dhasan in the form of granite. 
• The soil lacks in nitrogen, organic matter, phosphorous and lime. 
• Cotton, wheat, rice, pulses, gram, millets, tobacco, oilseed, potato are the main crops of this soil. 

Black Soil or Regur Soil

• It is found in the Western district and Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh. It is clayey in nature. It is generally known as Mar and Kabar. 
• Mar and Kabar soils are calcareous and fertile. These adhesive soils expand when they become wet. During summers cracks are developed in these soils when they shrink and dry. 
• As compared to Mar soil, Kabar soil is less water retentive soil. It is found in Mirzapur, Jhansi, and Sonbhadra districts. At some places it is mixed with red soil. 
• Some of the major crops grown on the black soil are cotton, wheat, jowar, oilseeds, virginia, tobacco, castor, sunflower and millets. 
• Rice and sugarcane are equally important where irrigation facilities are available. 

Parwa Soil 

• It is a light red-brownish colour of sandy loam soil, which is low in organic matter. 
• This soil is also known as Padwa or Paduwa. It is found in Hamirpur, Jalaun and coastal part of river Yamuna especially in ravines. 
• The soil responds well to the proper use of fertilisers and irrigation and gives excellent yields of millet (Kharif) and gram (Rabi). 

Maar/Maad Soil 

• This soil is found is the Western districts of the state. It is black in colour and largely clayey in nature like black or regur soil but not as fertile. 
• The soil contains silica (60%), iron (15%) and aluminum (25%). 
• The soil is highly retentive of moisture. Strenuous effort is required to work on such soil in rainy season as it gets sticky like gum. 

Rakar Soil 

• The slopy areas of hilly and plateau regions are covered with this soil. 
• The soil is divided into deep Rakar and thin Rakar. 
• Deep Rakar can be converted into Maad and Kawar while thin Rakar is converted into light soil. 
• The fertility of this soil can be increased with the use of fertilisers. Generally, crops like sesame or til (Kharif) and grams (Rabi) are grown in this soil. 

Monta Soil 

• This soil is found in the form of broken pebbles at the Vindhyan hilly areas. 
• Due to slow process of weathering, these pebbles are converted into fine sand. 
• The colour of this soil is reddish. Generally, cereals are grown in this soil such as millets.

Soil Erosion in Uttar Pradesh 

• Soil erosion is a natural process. It refers to wearing away of a field’s top soil by the natural physical forces of water, wind and human activities, like farming and deforestation. 
• Soil erosion has became a serious problem in Uttar Pradesh, as a large tract of land has lost its fertility because the top soil of this land has been washed away due to erosion. Thus, only hard soil with Kankar has been left on this land. 
• Gully erosion occurs when water is channelled across unprotected land and washes away the soil along the drainage lines. Under natural conditions, run-off is moderated by vegetation with generally holds the soil together, protecting it from excessive run-off and direct rainfall. In Uttar Pradesh, the worst affected districts are Agra, Etawah and Jalaun. 
• In Uttar Pradesh, the erosion is done by wind in desert region, by waterlogging in Terai region and by deforestation in vegetative regions. 
• For the agricultural point of view, soil erosion needs to be checked as soil is formed in thousands of years which is a very long time. Due to soil erosion the fertile soil and important elements get damaged. 
• The Chambal and Yamuna rivers are responsible for ravine erosion. Ravine erosion is most common in Etawah district. 
• Wind erosion is more frequent in summer season as soils dry up in this season and becomes more prone to wind erosion. The Western region of Uttar Pradesh including Agra, Mathura and Etawah are the most prone regions of wind erosion. 

Soil Conservation
Soil conservation is very important in order to stop soil depletion or erosion as soil is very essential to sustain life. In order to check soil erosion following steps should be taken: 

• Afforestation should be done in such places which are devoid of vegetation cover. 
• Terraced cultivation should be done. 
• Certain farming practices like no-till farming and contour ploughing should be done which help prevent lossening of soil. 
• Crop rotation should be done in which a series of dissimilar crops are grown in an area, to help in the improvement of soil. 
• Constructing dams in such areas where flooding is very common as flooding of rivers has been the major cause of soil erosion in Uttar Pradesh.