Scribd
Upload
5 views4 pages

Resource and Development Notes.

The document discusses the significance of land and soil resources in India, highlighting their types, uses, and the impact of human activities on land degradation. It details the classification of soils, including alluvial, black, red and yellow, laterite, arid, and forest soils, along with their characteristics and agricultural suitability. Additionally, it outlines conservation measures to combat land degradation and soil erosion.

Uploaded by

ashutoshacharyahitler
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
5 views4 pages

Resource and Development Notes.

The document discusses the significance of land and soil resources in India, highlighting their types, uses, and the impact of human activities on land degradation. It details the classification of soils, including alluvial, black, red and yellow, laterite, arid, and forest soils, along with their characteristics and agricultural suitability. Additionally, it outlines conservation measures to combat land degradation and soil erosion.

Uploaded by

ashutoshacharyahitler
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Chapter1-Resource and Development

Notes
Land Resources
• Land is a natural resource of utmost importance.
→ It supports natural vegetation, wild life, human life, economic
activities, transport and communication systems.

• Land is present in limited size so we must use them effectively.

Land Resources in India

• About 43 percent of the land area is plain, which provides facilities


for agriculture and industry.

• About 30 percent of the total surface area of the country are


mountains which ensure perennial flow of some rivers and provide
facilities for tourism and ecological aspects.

• About 27 per cent of the area of the country is the plateau region
that possesses rich reserves
of minerals, fossil fuels and forests.

Land Use Pattern in India

• The use of land is determined by:


→ Physical factors such as topography, climate, soil types
→ Human factors such as population density, technological
capability and culture and traditions etc.

• Land use data, however, is available only for 93 per cent of the
total geographical area because the land use reporting for most of
the north-east states except Assam has not been done fully.
→ Also, some areas of Jammu and Kashmir occupied by Pakistan and
China have also not been surveyed.

Land Degradation and Conservation measures

• Human activities such as deforestation, over grazing, mining and


quarrying contributed in land degradation.

• Measures to control land degradation:


→ Afforestation
→ Planting of shelter belts of plants
→ control on over grazing
→ stabilisation of sand dunes by growing thorny bushes
→ Proper management of waste lands
→ control of mining activities

Soil as a Resource

• Soil is the most important renewable natural resource.

• It is the medium of plant growth and supports different types of


living organisms on the earth.

Classification of Soils

On the basis of the factors responsible for soil formation, colour,


thickness, texture, age, chemical and physical properties, the soils
of India can be classified in different types:

• Alluvial Soils:
→ Entire northern plains are made of alluvial soil.
→ Also found in the eastern coastal plains particularly in the deltas
of the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri rivers.
→ Fertile soil therefore, fit for agriculture purpose.
→ Regions of alluvial soils are intensively cultivated and densely
populated.
→ Rich in potash, phosphoric acid and lime which are ideal for the
growth of sugarcane, paddy, wheat and other cereal and pulse
crops.

• Black Soil:
→ Black in colour and are also known as regur soils.
→ Ideal for growing cotton and is also known as black cotton soil.
→ Found in the plateaus of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya
Pradesh and Chhattisgarh also along the Godavari and the Krishna
valleys.
→ Made up of extremely fine i.e. clayey material.
→ Well-known for their capacity to hold moisture.
→ Rich in calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime.

• Red and Yellow Soils:


→ Found in the areas of low rainfall in the eastern and southern
parts of the Deccan plateau.
→ Also found in parts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, southern parts of the
middle Ganga plain and along the piedmont zone of the Western
Ghats.
→ Develop a reddish colour due to diffusion of iron in crystalline and
metamorphic rocks.

• Laterite Soils:
→ Develops in areas with high temperature and heavy rainfall.
→ Found in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and the
hilly areas of Odisha and Assam.
→ Suitable for cultivation with adequate doses of manures and
fertilizers.
→ Low Humus content because decomposers, like bacteria, get
destroyed due to high temperature.

• Arid Soils:
→ Found in the western parts of Rajasthan.
→ After proper irrigation these soils become cultivable.
→ Lacks humus and moisture because dry climate, high temperature
make evaporation faster.
→ Salt content is very high and common salt is obtained by
evaporating the water.

• Forest Soils:
→ Found in the hilly and mountainous areas where sufficient rain
forests are available.
→ Feature differs based on location.
→ Loamy and silty in valley sides and coarse grained in the upper
slopes.
→ Silt in the lower parts of the valleys particularly on the river
terraces and alluvial fans are fertile.

Soil Erosion and Soil Conservation

• Natural ways of Soil erosion: Wind, glacier and water lead to soil
erosion.

• Human activities: Deforestation, over-grazing, construction and


mining etc., contributes in soil erosion.

• Measures to control Soil erosion:


→ Strip cropping
→ Planting shelter belts
→ In the hilly areas, using contour ploughing and terrace farming.

You might also like