[Geography Notes] on Red Soil Pdf for Exam

Red soil is a type of soil that is characterized by its reddish color. It is also known as Terra Rossa, which is Italian for “red earth.” Red soil is found in areas where the climate is warm and humid, such as in tropical and subtropical regions. It is usually fertile and good for agriculture. Red soil is formed from the weathering of rocks that contain iron oxides. The most common type of rock that contributes to red soil is called basalt. The process of weathering breaks down the basalt into smaller pieces, and then the smaller pieces are broken down further into silt and clay. 

The iron oxides in the rocks are what give the soil its reddish colour. The fertility of red soil is due to its high levels of organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. These nutrients are essential for plant growth. Red soil is also well-drained, which is important for agriculture. Red soil helps plants to grow better. The red colour of the soil comes from the iron oxide in the rocks. The fertility of red soil is due to its high levels of organic matter and nutrients. Red soil is well-drained, which is important for agriculture.

Soil Types

Characteristics of Red Soil

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There are many different types of soil, each with its unique characteristics. One way of classifying soils is by their colour. There are three main categories based on their colours: red soil, black soil, and alluvial soil. These three colours reflect the types of rocks from which they formed. All soils, no matter what color, contain water and air as well as organic materials such as plants and animal remains. Red soil is a type of soil that is characterized by its reddish colour. It is also known as Terra Rossa, which is Italian for “red earth.” Red soil is found in areas where the climate is warm and humid, such as in tropical and subtropical regions. It is usually fertile and good for agriculture. Red soil is formed from the weathering of rocks that contain iron oxides. 

The most common type of rock that contributes to red soil is called basalt. The process of weathering breaks down the basalt into smaller pieces, and then the smaller pieces are broken down further into silt and clay. The iron oxides in the rocks are what give the soil its reddish colour. The fertility of red soil is due to its high levels of organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. These nutrients are essential for plant growth. Red soil is also well-drained, which is important for agriculture.

What is Red Soil?

Red soil is considered to be soil that generally develops in warm temperatures and moist climates. They are developed under deciduous conditions and are generally found in mixed forests. They have thin organic and mineral layers overlying a yellowish-brown leached layer which can be seen resting on an illuvial red layer. Red soils are generally formed from sedimentary rocks which are rich in iron. These soils are not suitable for cultivating because they are low in nutrients, making them poor growing soil. We learn more about red soil on this page. 

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Types of Red Soil

Red soil for plants is available in various types. Let’s discuss some of these soils:-

Red Clay Soil

Red clay soil is commonly known as Ultisols. They come under the twelve soil orders, which were introduced by the United States Department of Agriculture Soil Taxonomy. These are considered to be mineral soils that do not have any calcareous material present in them. These soils have 10% less weatherable minerals in the extremely top layer and also have a saturation base of less than 35% throughout the soil. You can find ultisols in tropical regions that experience humid temperatures. They are found in regions such as Africa, Asia, and South America.

Red Loam Soil

According to researchers, this red loam soil is formed by the decomposition of granite, gneiss charnockite, and diorite rocks. These soils are found to be cloddy, porous, and deficient in concretionary materials. These soils don’t have enough nitrogen, phosphorus, and various organic materials. These soils contain a sufficient amount of potash. Red sandy loam soil is not good for agriculture because they are not that fertile. These soils are mainly found in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Eastern Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and many other states.

Red Laterite Soil

Red laterite soil is a type of soil that is considered as a brick also. This type of soil is rich in iron and aluminium. They are usually formed in hot and wet tropical areas. These soils are red because of the iron oxide content; this mineral gave the soil a red colouration. These soils are developed when the underlying parent rock starts intensive and prolonged weathering. The areas where you can find the majority of laterites are situated between the tropics of cancer and the tropics of Capricorn. Laterites are considered to be a source of aluminium ores.

Red Yellow Soil

Red, yellow soil is a type of soil that is formed under broad-leaved forests. Generally, these types of forests are found in humid subtropical regions. These soils are believed to have an acid reaction within them. The humus content in these soils is significantly less as compared to other soils. The red-yellow colour of the soil is due to the presence of ferric hydroxide in the soil. As per many researchers, the thickness of these soil ranges between 30-70 cm. The thickness of these soils varies in different places. One can find these types of soil in China, the Southern United States, southeastern Australia, and New Zealand.

Red Sandy Soil

This type of soil is light, warm, and dry. They tend to have acidic content in them and are low in nutrients. Red sandy soil is generally known as light soil because of a high proportion of sand and less clay (clay always weighs more than sand). These soils are easy to work with because they have water drainage that is quick most of the time. As these soils don’t have a sufficient amount of nutrients and organic matters; thus, these soils are not preferable for cultivation. In simple words, these soils are poor fertility soils. These soils are found in regions where the rainfall is arid, semi-arid, and humid.

Red Gravel Soil

This type of soil is found with 20% gravel in the topmost layer; sometimes, it is more than 20% also. These gravels are distributed and scattered throughout the soil. This type of soil affects the growth of plants because of the gravel content. These gravels act as a barrier to plant growth. Plants also can’t develop in these types of soils because they can’t get enough nutrients from red gravel soil. This soil lacks fertilizers. The gravels present in the soil penetrate the roots causing damage to the plants. So it is clear that agriculture is not a good choice on these soils.

Gravels present in the soil help to break up the clay soil and create air pockets where oxygen is stored. Plants that can grow in this type of soil are perennials, ornamental grasses, and herbs.

Use of Red Soil in Agriculture

Red soil is often used for agriculture because it is fertile and well-drained. It is especially beneficial for crops that require a lot of nutrients, such as bananas and sugarcane. Red soil can also be used to grow other types of crops, such as vegetables and fruits.

Following are the types of crops that can be grown in red soil:

• Bananas

• Sugarcane

• Fruits like oranges, pineapples, and avocados

• Vegetables like carrots, potatoes, celery, beets, spinach, beans, peas, and corn. 

Red soil is used to grow these crops because it has lots of nutrients needed for plant growth, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The soil is also well-drained, which is important for agriculture.

From our context, we understand that red soil is mostly loamy and hence cannot retain water like the black soil. However, with the proper use of fertilizers and irrigation techniques, red soil can give good yield of cotton, wheat, rice, pulses, millets, tobacco, oil seeds, potatoes and fruits.