SSC MTS 2022 PYQ — Question 36

The correct answer is option 3 i.e. Alluvial soil

1. The northern plains of India are formed of Alluvial deposits.These soils are formed by the sediments brought down by rivers.The soil is formed out of the deposition work of Indus-Ganga-Brahmaputra rivers. In Peninsular India, this type of soil is mostly found in deltas and estuaries.
2. Crops grown in Alluvial soil- rice, wheat, sugarcane, tobacco, maize, cotton, soybean, jute, oilseeds, fruits, vegetables, etc.
3. Two cash crops that grow well in an alluvial soil are Sugarcane and Jute.
4.  Alluvial soil is not the most suitable for the cultivation of cotton.
5. The alluvial soils vary in nature from sandy loam to clay. They are generally rich in potash but poor in phosphorous.

Additional detail-

1. Laterite soil - Laterite soil is mainly found in the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats.Also known as residual soil. Rich in iron oxide.Suitable for most of the dryland crops, mainly cultivated with coconut, arecanut, banana, tapioca, vegetables, yams, pepper, pineapple, fruit trees etc.
2. Arid soil - Arid soil is mainly found in parts of Western Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab and extends up to the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. Also called desert soil.Cereal grains like corn, sorghum, pearl millet, etc are grown in this soil.Arid soils typically contain high levels of calcium carbonates, gypsum, as well as sodium.
3. Black soil - Black soils are derivatives of trap lava and are spread mostly across interior Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh on the Deccan lava plateau and the Malwa Plateau.Wheat, Groundnut and cotton are few of the crops which require black soil for their growth.The soil is rich in minerals like Iron, lime, calcium, potash, magnesium and aluminium.The soil has higher water containig capacity.