Soil is one of the most important natural resources.The rich,deep and fertile soil support High density of population through agricultural prosperity.India varied natural environment resulted in a great variety of soil compared to any other country of similar size in the world.

Soil is the upper most layer of the land surface. Grains in the soil are of three categories namely,clay,silt, and sand.

Types of soil

In 1953 Indian Council of Agriculture Research divides the soil in to eight groups.

1.Alluvial soil 

2.Black soil 

3.Red soil 

4.Laterite soil 

5.Forest and mountain soil 

6.Arid and desert soil 

7.Saline and alkaline soil 

8.Peaty and marshy soil 

Alluvial soil 

Formation: sediment deposited by stream and river when they slowly loose.

Nature:Sandy loam silt clay profile show no marked differentiation.

Black soil:

Formation: derived from basalt of Deccan trap.

Nature:Sticky when wet High degree of moisture retentivity.

Red soil 

Formation: decomposition of ancient crystalline Rock like granite and gneisses and from rock type.

Nature: Light texture, porous friable presence of limited soluble salt clay fraction of the red soil generally consist of kaolintic mineral.

Laterite soil 

Formation: formed in the region where alternate wet and hot dry conditions prevail.It is formed by the process of leaching.

Nature: more acidic on higher areas poor in high level, cannot retain moisture while plaithey consist of heavy loam and clay and easily retain moisture.

Forest and mountain soil

Formation:due to mechanical weathering caused by snow,rain temperature variation.

Nature: light, Sandy,thin and found with the piece of their character change with the parent rock.veru rich in humus.slow decomposition make it acidic.

Arid and desert soil

Formation:due to prevalence of the dry climate,high temperature and accelerated evaporation, the soil is dry it also lack humus content due to the absence of vegetative cover.

Nature: light in colour,low humus, friable structure,low in moisture.

Saline and alkaline soil

Formation: formed due to ill drainage which causes water logging, injuries Salt are transferred from subsurface to the top soil by the capillary action,it causes the salinisation of soil.

Nature: consist of an excess of sodium salt and minerals fragments which are weathering.

Peaty and marshy soil 

Formation: formed in humid region region from the organic matter.It is found in the area of heavy rainfall and high humidity peary soils are black, heavy highly acidic.

Nature: contain considerable amount of soluble salt and 10 to 40 percent of organic matter; and high proportion of vegetable matter