Arid soil
Also called: Desert soil · Topic: Soils of India: Types, Degradation and Conservation · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 1 "The Story of Indian Farming"; Class 10, Ch 1 "Resources and Development"
Meaning
Arid soil is the soil of dry areas. It is red to brown, sandy and often saline (salty). Strong heat makes water evaporate fast, so the soil has very little humus or moisture. Calcium increases with depth, so kankar (lumps of calcium carbonate) fills the lower layers. This layer stops water from soaking down. With proper irrigation, the soil can be farmed.
Example
Western Rajasthan has arid soil. Where the Indira Gandhi Canal brings water, these sandy lands now grow crops. In some places the soil is so salty that people make common salt by evaporating its water.
Don't confuse with
- Saline and alkaline soil: arid soil is a dry-region soil that can be salty in places. Saline and alkaline soils (usar, reh, kallar) are a separate ICAR group, and their main feature is a heavy load of sodium, potassium and magnesium salts. They are also found in canal-irrigated Punjab and Haryana and in coastal deltas.