GEOGRAPHY SOILS OF INDIA 2018-2019 1) Write down any 2 steps that can be taken by an Indian Farmer to prevent Soil 2) Erosion. A (l) Planting of trees to act as wind breaks (2) Terrace farming (3) Strip Cropping (4) Prevent over grazing (5) Check burning of forests and pastures (6) Making Bunds in fields, gullies and ravines (7) Contour ploughing. 2) Mention anyone measure taken by the Govt. for soil Conservation. A (1) Contour Ploughing (2) Maintaining permanent vegetative cover (3) Regulating stream flows (4) Constructing earth and masonary embankment in gullies and ravines. (5) Creating wind breaks by planting double rows of trees. (6) Terrace farming (7) Strip Cropping (8) Afforestation (9) Reafforestation (10) Multipurpose Projects (11) Growing trees in Catchment Areas. 3) What is meant by Soil Erosion? A. It is the detachment and transportation of the upper layers or top soil, thus resulting in the deterioration of the soil. 4) What is meant by Soil Conservation? A. Protection of top layer of soil which is constantly shifted from one part of the land to another by wind and water. It is an effort by man to retain the fertility of soil and prevent soil erosion. It also ensures that land damaged by water and wind is reclaimed and its fertility restored.. 5) Name one are where sandy soil is found on a large scale. A. Western Rajasthan, Thar Desert. 6) What are the causes of Soil Erosion? A.(1) Deforestation of the hills leads to Gully erosion (2) Overgrazing of the land by animals (3) Heavy rainfall in the upper regions (Catchment) and steep gradient enhances the eroding power of the rain water. (4) Continuous Cultivation of a particular crop weakens the soil, so when the land is allowed to remain fallow, a severe heavy rain can cause sheet erosion.the agents causing erosion are: (1) running water (2) wind (3) Man. 7) Soil Erosion has been a pressing problem in India. Give 2 reasons for this soil Erosion. A.(1) Indiscriminately cutting down offorest. (2) Overgrazing of the land by animals. (3) Cultivation of land on slopes of hills without embankments or terracing. (8) What is Soil? A. It is the loose material which forms the upper layer of the Mantle rock. (9) What are the main substances found in the Soil? A.The main substances found in varying proportion in the soil are Silica, Clay, chalk, Humus. (10) What is Silica? A.It is a small crystalline grains which are the chief constituents of sand. It is derived mainly by the breaking up of rocks which is very slow. (11) What is Clay? A.Clay is a mixture of silicates and contains several minerals comprising iron, potassium, calcium, sodium, aluminium. 12.What is Humus? ( 1 )
A. A. It is an organic matter. It is formed by the decomposition of plant remains, animal manure and dead animals, and is most important element in the fertility of the soil. 13_ What are the characteristics of Humus ') A.(1) It is dark in colour (2) It is fertile (3) It is organic matter (4) It retains moisture in the soil. 14. What is Top Soil? A. The upper layer of the Soil is Top Soil. 15. Why is Top Soil important for plants? A.Top soil is full of life for there are millions of bacteria, insects and worms in it. Top Soil develops very slowly. If it is washed away then the Soil becomes poor as most of the plant nutrients are found in this soil. 16. What is sub soil? A.It is soil that if found below the top soil. This is generally soil which consists of the parent material from which soil is formed. 17. What are the characteristics of sandy soil? A. (l) It is loose (2) Porous (3) They dry up too easily / not water retentive. 18. What are the characteristics of Clayey Soil? A.(1) It becomes sticky when wet and cracks when dry. (2) It becomes water logged when there is too much of water. (3) It is a heavy soil (4) It is water retentive. 19. Why do plants find it difficult to penetrate in clayey soil? A. Plants find it difficult to penetrate in clayey soil because it is not aerated. 20. What does loam consist of? A. Loam is a mixture of sand and clay, silt and humus. 21. Name states in India which have been devasted by soil erosion. A. U.P., Rajasthan, Assam. 22. On what does soil erosion depend? A.It depends on (1) Texture and structure of the soil (2) The Climate (3) Slope of the land (4) Nature of cultivation. 23. What is Gully Erosion? Where would you find this? A.Gully Erosion is caused as a result of running water. It occurs on steep slopes where no vegetation is left to stop the flow of storm water which then finds its way downhill in a series of channels. They are found on the slopes of the hills, banks of rivers, eg. The Banks of the Sabarmati and the Chambal. 24. What is sheet erosion? Why is it harmful? How does it occur? A. The removal of an even layer from the whole top soil by water is known as sheet erosion. It is harmful because it removes the finer and more fertile of the soil particles first. The main cause for this is Cultivation. Cultivation weakens the soil. Rain water runs off the surface, carrying away the soil. 25.Name the areas in India affected by Wind Erosion. A. Rajasthan and Punjab. 26. In what is man responsible for soil Erosion? A.Man is responsible for Soil Erosion through his activities like (1) Deforestation (2) Overgrazing of land (3) Continuously ploughing of soil loosens and then leaving it fallow causes erosion. 27.How can Gully Erosion be prevented in the Chambal Valley / Sabarmati Banks /Slopes of the hills. A.Gully Erosion can be prevented by (l) Constructing bunds according to the Contour (2) Ploughing along contour lines so that furrows run across the slope of the land. 28. How do plants conserve the soil? A.Trees reduce the force of strong winds and obstruct blowing away of dust particles. Roots of trees, plants and grasses hold soil particles together and strengthen the soil. They also reduce the speed of flowing water. ( 2 )
29. (a) Name the soil which is common in the North West part of the Deccan. A Black soil / Regur soil. (b) Describe its appearance and qualities. A.(1) It is black to chestnut brown (2) It is fine grained (3) Retains moisture. When wet it is sticky, when dry it cracks (4) Rich in lime, iron, potash, magnesium, alumina, carbonates. (LIPMAC) (5) Poor in phosphorous, organic matter and nitrogen. 30. Name the crops which grow best in this type of soil. A. The crops that grow here are cotton, jowar, millets, wheat, sugarcane, tobacco, oilseeds. 31. (a) What kind of soil is found spread over large areas in the Northern Plains of India? A Alluvial soil (b) How has this type of soil come to spread over these areas? A. The alluvial soil has spread over the Northern Plains by the river Ganga, Brahmaputra, Indus and their tributaries as load. They are transported as residual alluvial brought by the rivers from the Himalayas. 32.Name the most important soil found in India which also form the largest group of soil in India A. Alluvium 33.Into how many kinds of soil is alluvium divided? Name them and differentiate between them. A. It is divided into two. They are Khadar and Bhangar. Khadar Bhangar 1.New Alluvium 1.Older Alluvium 2.Found at lower levels near the river 2. Found in the higher plains and river terraces away from the river. 3. Sandy in composition 3.Clayey in composition 34. What is alluvium rich in? A. It is rich in Humus, lime, potash. 35. What is alluvium poor in? A. It is poor in phosphorous. 36Name the soil that if found to a depth of 500 m. in North India. A. Alluvium in the Ganga Plains. 37. Name the areas / states where Alluvium is found? A.(1) It is found in the valleys and deltas of all rivers (2) Indo Gangetic Plain (3) Punjab (4) Haryana (5)Bihar (6) U.P. (7) West Bengal 38. (a) Name the food crops that are grown on this particular soil. A. Rice and wheat (b) Name the Cash Crops grown in Alluvial soil. A.The Cash Crops are sugarcane, jute, oilseeds and cotton. 39. Name one state in which there are large areas of red soil. A. Tamil Nadu. 40. State 2 reasons why the Red Soil is not very good for agricultural purposes. Why should fertilizers be added to Red soil? A. (1) It is poor in Nitrogen, Lime, Phospherous, Humus. (2) It is not water retentive 41. (a) How does the Soil of the Central Maharashtra region differ from that of the Yamuna- Ganga Plain? ( 3 )
A.a.Maharashtra - black or regur soil Yamuna Ganga Plain - Alluvium / Alluvial (b) Explain briefly how these soils have been developed. A.RegurlBlack soil is ofvo1canic origin. They are formed from the weathering of the Deccan trap rock. Alluvium - refer to ans. 31(b). 42.With reference to the type of soil only state why : (l)jowar is grown in Maharashtra (2) Bajra is grown in.rajasthan (3) Sugarcane is grown in U.P. A.(1) Jowar is grown in Maharashtra because of the Black Regur Soil wich is rich in lime, potashmagnesium, carbonates, allumina and calcium. (2) Bajra is grown in Rajasthan because of the sandy soil found in this region. It is rich in soluble salts. (3) Sugarcane is grown in U.P. because the soil is alluvium and this is rich in potash,lime, Humus. 43.What are the Characteristics of red soil? (1) It is Red in colour as it has a high iron content. (2) It is porous (3) It is triable (4) It is not water retentive (5) Potash 44. What is responsible for the colouring of the red Soil? A. The high Iron Oxide content is responsible for the colour of the Red Soil. 45. Name the food crops and the cash crops that thrive on red Soil. A.Food Crops - wheat, rice, pulses Cash Crops - cotton, sugarcane 46. What is necessary for red soil to become productive? A. Red soil needs fertilizers and irrigation to become productive. 47. What are the characteristics of laterite soil? Name one region where it is found. AThe characteristicsoflaterite are it is - (1) Porous (2) Coarse (3) Red (4) Friable (5) Soft (6) It is acidic (7) It is not water retentive (8) It is rich in iron. It is found in the summits of the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, parts of Kerala, Goa, A.P., T.N., Orissa, Bengal. 48. Name the states where Regur / Black / Cotton soil is found. A. Maharashtra, Gujarat, A.P., M.P., T.N. 49. Why is laterite red in colour? A. This is because of the high concentrate of iron oxides inthe soil. 50. What are the disadvantages of the laterite soil? AThe disadvantages of the laterite soil are (1) It is highly acidic (2) It is not water retentive (4) It is poor in Phospheric Acid, potash and lime. 51. Name the soil found in the Tropical Monsoon Countries. A. Laterite 52. How is Laterite soil formed? What do you understand by Laterite Soil? A.Laterite soil is fanned due to weathering of laterite rocks caused by alternating extremes of temperature and marked by wet and dry seasons. It is formed due to intense leaching during the periods of heavy rainfall. All the soluble materials are removed and a hard stony layer remains. 53. Why are Laterite Soils infertile / unsuitable for Agriculture? A.Laterite soils are infertile because (1) they are acidic (2) do not retain moisture (3) they are poor in phospheric acid, potash and lime. 54. What are the crops grown in Laterite Soil? ( 4 )
A. Cashew, Coffee, tea, rubber, tapioca 55. What is Laterite Rock used for? A. It is used for building. 56. Name two states with desert soil. A Rajasthan and Gujarat *************************************************************************** ( 5 )