Soil And Crops

Soil And Crops

Different soil types exist in different places. Climate, slope of land, plant cover and parent rock are some factors that determine the kind of soil formed.

Transported Soil

Heavy rainfall, high relative humidity and high temperature cause rapid weathering of rocks in hills and mountains. The heavy rainfall carries the weathered particles to rivers. The rapidly flowing water of the rivers then carries the sediments, big and small, down to the foothills and flood plains. The sediments thus spread over a large area in the foothills and flood plains. Such soil is known as transported soil

Soil formed by physical and chemical weathering of a parent rock, that remains in its place of formation is called residual soil.

Mineral salts in the soil

Plants need certain chemical elements essential for their growth such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. These are found in the soil. Most of these mineral salts come from the rocks which formed the soil. Some of these give the soil a characteristic colour.

For example iron salts give a red colour to the soil.

Sometimes, soil contains lime which comes from limestone. Such soil is alkaline. This is useful for some plants as it helps in their growth and development. Rainwater is slightly acidic and can make the soil acidic. Some plants grow well in acidic soil. However, most plants grow well in neutral soil.