pedology or soil & agriculture section 1 MCQ Questions & Answers Detailed Explanation

Answer: (c)

Black soils locally called regard or black cotton soils, and internationally known as 'tropical black piles of the earth' or 'tropical chernozems' have been developed by the weathering of the Deccan lava in India.

They are highly retentive of moisture, extremely compact and tenacious when wet, considerably contracted developing deep wide cracks on drying and selfploughing and are credited with high fertility of crops like cotton.

Answer: (d)

Answer: (a)

Answer: (d)

Podsols are ash-grey coloured soils that are found in high-latitude coniferous forest belt having very long cold winters, short cool summers and moderate precipitation throughout the year.

These soils are acidic, infertile and of limited value for agriculture. These are useful for dairying and mixed farming.

Answer: (d)

Answer: (c)

Cotton needs soil with excellent water holding capacity and aeration and good drainage as it cannot withstand excessive moisture and waterlogging.

The major groups of soils for cotton cultivation are the alluvial soils, black soils, and red sandy loam. Black cotton soils are inorganic clays of medium to high compressibility and form a major soil group in India.

They are characterized by high shrinkage and swelling properties. This Black cotton soils occurs mostly in the central and western parts and covers approximately 20% of the total area of India.