In India, laterite soil is widespread, covering over 10% of the total geographical area, namely on the summits of the Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats (Rajamahal Hills, Vindhyas, Satpuras, and Malwa Plateau), southern parts of Maharashtra, parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal Orissa, Jharkhand, Kerala, Assam.

The laterite soils are commonly found in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and the hilly areas of Odisha and Assam.

Soil types Soils throughout the tropical rainforests fall into two classifications which include the ultisols and oxisols. Ultisols are known as well weathered, acidic red clay soils, deficient in major nutrients such as calcium and potassium.

The term laterite means a red rock or red earth deposit. Laterites are formed by the decomposition of different kind of rocks, under conditions yielding aluminum and iron hydroxides.

Francis Buchanan-Hamilton first described and named a laterite formation in southern India in 1807. He named it laterite from the Latin word later, which means a brick; this highly compacted and cemented soil can easily be cut into brick-shaped blocks for building.

✴️They are easily tillable. ✴️They are red in colour due to the presence of large amounts of iron oxide . Disadvantages : ✴️These Soils are formed by leaching , therefore consists of less minerals and organic materials .

1 Answer. Disadvantages of Laterite Soils are: (i) They contain high percentage of acidity. (ii) It is generally coarse in texture and cannot retain moisture.

The laterite soil is a result of intense leaching owing to heavy tropical rains. Features : (i) The soils are acidic in nature, coarser and crumbly in texture. (ii) Due to lack of nitrogen, potassium and organic elements, the laterite soils lack fertility, and are not suitable for cultivation.

1. Red soil has better drainage capacity compared to other soils and the soil is porous, fine grained and fertile in nature. 2. Red soils also have higher iron, lime content and aluminium.

1 Answer. Red soils has better drainage capacity than other soils. They are porous, fine-grained and fertile in nature. Red soils have higher iron, aluminium and lime content and have high acidic nature also.

Red soils are generally derived from crystalline rock. They are usually poor growing soils, low in nutrients and humus and difficult to be cultivated because of its low water holding capacity. Red soils are an important resource.

The black soils are made up of extremely fine i.e. clayey material. They are well-known for their capacity to hold moisture. In addition, they are rich in soil nutrients, such as calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime. These soils are generally poor in phosphoric contents.

Black soil in India is rich in metals such as Iron, Magnesium and Aluminum. However it is deficient in Nitrogen, Potassium, Phosphorous and Humus. Black soil is of red colour mainly due to its iron oxide content.

Chemically, the black soils are rich in lime, iron, magnesia and alumina. They also contain potash.

The deep black cotton soils are generally considered not suitable for mango cultivation, since soils are generally avoided for planting mango plants. The mango growing soils should preferably have a very low total water soluble salt content of 0.04 to 0.05 per cent.

Mango grows well on wide variety of soils, such as lateritic, alluvial, sandy loam and sandy. The loamy, alluvial, well-drained, aerated and deep soils (2-2.5 m) rich in organic matter with a pH range of 5.5-7.5 are ideal for mango cultivation.

Mango trees will grow in almost any soil whether sandy, loam or clay, but they require good depth and drainage.

The best soil for mango growth ranges between 4.5 and 7.0 pH, which is neutral to acidic soil. The mango tree does tolerate slightly alkaline soil. Use a soil testing kit to determine the pH of the soil. To improve the acidity of the soil, mix in organic materials like peat moss a year before planting.