Soil and Agriculture PDF

# Soil and Agriculture ## Basic Pointers * Study of soil: Pedology * It is renewable natural resource * It consists of organic (humus) and inorganic materials * Important factors responsible for formation of soil: * Relief * Parent rock/bed rock * Climate * Vegetation * Other f...

# Soil and Agriculture ## Basic Pointers * Study of soil: Pedology * It is renewable natural resource * It consists of organic (humus) and inorganic materials * Important factors responsible for formation of soil: * Relief * Parent rock/bed rock * Climate * Vegetation * Other forms of life and time * Soil can be divided into certain types on the basis of factors responsible for soil formation, color, thickness, texture, age, chemical, and physical properties. ## Factors Effecting Soil Formation * **Parent material:** It determines the soil's → color, texture, chemical properties, mineral, content, and permeability. * **Climate:** Temperature and rainfall affect the rate of weathering and humus. * **Time:** It determines the thickness of soil. * **Relief:** Accumulation of soil. ## Soil Horizons * Also known as Humus (not present in Indian soil) * **O - Organic Layer:** Humus * **A - Topsoil:** Minerals with humus * **B - Subsoil:** Deposited minerals & metal salts * **C - Parent Rock:** Partly weathered rock * Soil texture depends on it ## ICAR: Indian Council of Agriculture Research * HQ: New Delhi * This institute has categorized soil into 8 categories. * Indian soil lacks: N₂, P, and Humus (organic matter). ## Types of Soil | Soil Type | Percentage | |------------- |-------------- | | Alluvial soil | 40% | | Red soil | 18% | | Black soil | 15% | | Laterite soil | 4.3% | | Arid soil | | | Montane soil | | | Marshy/Peaty soil | | | Saline/Alkaline soil | | ## Types of Soil in India * Alluvial Soil * Most widely spread (covers 40% area of India - Most fertile type of soil) * Found in Northern Plains (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam) + Deltas of Peninsular rivers * Formed due to deposition of three important Himalaya river system: Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra. * Found in eastern coastal plains: Delta of Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri. * Rich in potash and poor in phosphorus. * **Types**: * **Old alluvial:** Bhangar - Calcareous concentration; poor in humus and nitrogen (less fertile) * **New alluvial:** Khadar - More suitable for agriculture (more fertile) * Black Soil * Also known as 'Regur' * Ideal for cotton cultivation (requires 210 frost free days) * Formed due to the eruption of Lava. * Found in Northwestern part of Peninsular Plateau - Maharashtra and Gujarat. * Clayey in nature - Made of extremely fine materials. * Have self-ploughing characteristics - Develops scrap when dry and sticky when moist. * They are rich in iron, calcium carbonate, magnesium, potassium, lime, alumina and poor in humus, nitrogen, phosphate. * Impermeable soil - water does not percolate easily. * Red Soil and Yellow Soil * Formed due to weathering of metamorphic rock. * It is red due to the presence of iron oxide. * It develops on crystalline igneous rocks in areas of low rainfall: Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Piedmont zone of Western Ghats. * Turns yellow when hydrated. * Laterite Soil * Derived from Latin word 'later' which means brick. * Result of intense leaching process (where important mineral such as silica washes away with the water). * Found in regions of: High temperature and heavy rainfall - Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and hilly areas of Odisha and Assam. * Red laterite soil is found in: Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala - Region suitable for cashew nut crops. * Favourable for growing tea and coffee (Karnataka). * Arid Soil * Range from red to brown in colour. * Generally, Sandy in texture and saline in nature (Rate of evaporation is greater than the rate of precipitation). * Found in parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat. * The Kankar layer formation in the bottom horizon restrict the infiltration of water. * **Treatment**: * Saline soil: Gypsum * Acidic soil: Lime * Marshy/Peaty Soil * Seen in coastal areas. * Has organic matter/humus. * Seen in regions of high humidity and high rainfall. * Desert Soil * Seen in extremely low rainfall areas (<50 cm): Western Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana. * Montane Soil * High humus is seen. ## U.S. Taxonomy | Soil Type | Description | |------------ |--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Entisol | Recently formed soils that lack well developed horizons and are commonly found on unconsolidated river and beach sediments of sand. | | Inceptisol | | | Vertisol | Inverted soils. They are clay rich and tend to swell when wet and shrink upon drying. | | Alfisol | Soils with aluminum and iron. | | Oxisol | Are heavily weathered and are rich in iron and aluminum. | | Gelisols | Permafrost soils with permafrost within 2 m of surface or gelic materials. | | Histosol | Organic Soil | ## Micro and Macro Nutrients **Macronutrients** * N: Nitrogen * P : Phosphorus * K: Potassium * Ca: Calcium * Mg: Magnesium * S: Sulfur *Rest other minerals are micronutrients. ## Soil Erosion and Conservation * **Soil Erosion:** The denudation of soil cover and subsequent washing down is described as soil erosion. * Soil erosion is also possible due to water. * **Sheet Erosion:** When top soil gets washed away due to heavy shower. * **Gully Erosion:** It is a permanent process when surface water run-off cuts deeply into soil, removing it along drainage lines. * Gully erosion in Chambal valley is referred to as ravines ↓ Badland topography ## Soil Conservation Methods * **Counter Bunding/Ploughing:** A land management practice for marginal, sloping and hilly land where the soil productivity is very low. It involves placement of the lines of stone along the natural rises of a landscape. * **Mulching:** The process of covering the top soil, with plant material, such as leaves, grass, crop residue, etc. Retains soil moisture. * **Shelter Belts:** Planting rows of trees on one side of an area that prevents the wind from eroding the soil. * **Terrace Farming:** It is the practice of cutting flat areas out of a hilly or mountainous landscape in order to grow crops. Mostly practised in hilly region, such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and certain North-Eastern provinces. * **Strip Farming:** Type of farming that involves dividing fields into long, narrow strips, and alternating crops in a rotation system. ## Agriculture ### Types of Farming * **Primitive Subsistence Farming:** Is practiced on small patches of land with the help of primitive tools like hoe, dao, digging sticks, and family/community labour. This type of farming depends upon: * monsoon, * natural fertility of soil and * suitability of other environmental conditions * **Intensive Subsistence Farming:** Is practiced in areas of high population pressure on land. It is labour intensive farming – Use of high doses of biochemical inputs and irrigation to obtain higher production. Through 'Right of Inheritance' division of land among successive generation has rendered land-holding uneconomical in size. * **Commercial Farming:** In this type of farming, single crop is grown on large area. Use of higher doses of modern inputs – High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilisers, insecticides, and pesticides to obtain high productivity. Plantation is also a type of commercial farming. Important crops: Tea, coffee, rubber, sugar cane, banana, etc. All produced used as raw materials. ## Mixed and Intercropping * **Mixed Farming:** Type of farming, which involves growing of crops and raising of livestock (Agriculture + Livestock). * **Intercropping:** Practice of growing two or more crops in close proximity to each other on the same piece of land. ### Similarities between Mixed and Intercropping * Growing two or more crops in a same piece of land ### Differences | Type | Description | |------------------- |--------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Mixed Cropping | Seeds of two different crops are mixed before sowing. | | Intercropping | Seeds are not mixed and grown in a row format. | ## Different Cropping Patterns | Season | Sowing | Harvesting | Crops | |-------- |------------- |------------- |--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Kharif | July | Sept-Oct | Also known as Monsoon crops. Rice, sugarcane, jute, cotton, tobacco, maize, soyabean, groundnut. | | Rabi | Oct | April | Wheat, barley, gram, Mustard, linseed, pea, rapeseed, castor. Winter rainfall is beneficial. | | Zaid | May-June | | Short cropping season. Watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, fodder crops. | ## Some Major Crops * **Rice:** Also known as paddy before processing. India is 2nd largest producer after China. Sowed in swampy areas - Methane and gases produced. Requires: High-temperature (>25°C) and high rainfall (>100 cm). In Eastern India (WB): 3 seasons. * **Aus:** Harvesting: August - Sowing: June * **Aman:** Harvesting: Nov-Dec - Sowing: August * **Boro:** Harvesting: April - Sowing: Dec-Jan * **Wheat:** Rain required: 50-70 cm * **Sugarcane:** Temperature required: 21-27°C. Rain required: 75-100 cm. * **Tea:** Grown in acidic soil - Requires well-drained soil. Rich in humus and organic content. Requires shadow. Topmost producer: China > India > Kenya. India (topmost producer): Assam. ## Leguminous Crops * India is largest consumer/producer. * Nitrogen fixing bacteria (Rhizobium) reside in the roots of these plant. * Eg: Pulses, rajma, soyabeans (Top producer: Madhya Pradesh). * No Rhizobium bacteria inside their roots. ## Millets * Also known as Superfoods/Sri Anna. * Eg: Bajra, ragi (finger millets), jowar (Sorghum). * Topmost producer: Rajasthan. ## Oil Seeds * India is 2nd largest producer after China. * Eg: Groundnut, coconut, mustard, sesame, cotton seed, soyabean. * Topmost producer: Gujarat. ## Horticulture Crops * Fruits and vegetables. * India produces 13% of world's vegetables. ## Coffee * Coffee bowl of the world: Brazil (topmost producer). * India (topmost producer): Karnataka. * Soil required: Laterite. * Blossom showers helps in growth of coffee. * According to 2008 data: India produces 3.2% of the world. * Arabica * Liberica * Robusta }} 3 varieties found ## Fibre Crops * **Cotton:** It requires black soil. Fibre crop and also known as silver fibre. Requires: 210 frost free days. Requires 6 to 8 months to mature. * **Jute:** Golden fibre. Topmost producer: India (West Bengal). Topmost exporter: Bangladesh. Nor-westers good for growth of jute. * **Hemp** * **Silk:** Rearing of silk is called: Sericulture. ## Different Types of Revolution | Revolution | Description | |---------------------- |--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Green Revolution | 1st in: Mexico + Latin America (1940s-60s). Term by: William Gaud. Father (world): Norman Borlaug (USA; 1970: Nobel Peace Prize). Father (India): M S Swaminathan. PL-480 High Yielding Variety (HYV) of wheat was imported from Mexico, USA. Rice: IR8 variety (Miracle) from Philippines | | Black Revolution | Petroleum | | Blue Revolution | Fish | | Brown Revolution | Leather | | Golden Revolution | Fruit / Honey | | Green Revolution | Food Grains | | Grey Revolution | Fertilizer | | Pink Revolution | Onion | | Red Revolution | Meat/Tomato | | Silver Revolution | Egg/Poultry | | White Revolution | Milk / Dairy | | Yellow Revolution | Oil Seeds | | Evergreen Revolution | Overall Development | ### Blue Revolution * **Father:** Harilal Chaudhuri and Arun Krishnan. ### White Revolution * Also known as "Operation Flood". * Launched in: 1970. * **Father:** Verghese Kurien. * Reduce scarcity of milk production in India. ### Yellow Revolution * **Father:** Sam Pitroda. ## Drawbacks of Green Revolution * Groundwater levels low↓ * Soil alkalinity high ↑ * Disparity between farmers increased. * Commercial farmers benefited more. ## GM Crops (Genetically Modified Crops) * These are crops/plants that have had their DNA modified using genetic engineering techniques. * Eg: Bt brinjal, Bt cotton ## Agriculture Revolution in India * **In India:** * It was introduced in two phases. * **1st phase:** 1960s-70s – Affluent states of Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh (Wheat and Rice). * To announce MSP * July 1968: Special stamps by Indira Gandhi * 3rd FYI * Estd: FCI, CACP in 1965 * 1965 - production of cereals: 72.4 M tone * 1978 - production: 131 M tone * **2nd phase:** 1970s-80s - Sustainable farming. * HQ of Second Green Revolution (SGr) cell: ICAR, Patna.