Question:

Which type of soil is best suited for the cultivation of cotton in India?

Updated On: Aug 1, 2022
  • Loamy soil
  • Black soil
  • Sandy soil
  • Clayey soil
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Black cotton soil is also called as regular soil. Black soils are derivatives of trapped lava. These are found mostly across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh on the Deccan lava plateau and the Malwa Plateau, where there is both moderate rainfall and underlying basaltic rock. Cotton is grown well in this soil.
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Concepts Used:

Soil as Reservoir of Essential Elements

  • Soil is firstly formed due to the slow breakdown and weathering of rocks.
  • The clay and the humus part structure colloidal particles in the soil. These colloids hold a lot of charges on their surface and also have a large surface area that assists in the interaction with mineral elements.
  • It is also the area of decomposition, a huge number of microbes in the soil decompose the organic remains (leftover) of plant parts or dead animals and release the minerals bound in organic matter.
  • Soil can sustain a regular supply of minerals due to the activity of decomposers.
  • Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are also found in the soil changing or transforming the atmospheric nitrogen into usable forms to be utilized by the plants.
  • Mineral nutrients are withdrawn from the soil at a much faster rate than it gets replenished naturally. Hence, often there is a deficiency of core minerals in the soil.
  • The deficiency of crucial minerals affects crop production, which is replenished through artificial fertilisers.
  • Macro-nutrients like N, P, K, S, etc. and micro-nutrients like Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, etc. are ingredients of fertilizers and are used in crop fields based on their requirement.