Soil, the Foundation of Cultivation
Class 7 Social Science · Chapter 13: The Story of Indian Farming · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 13.3
Learn
Soil forms over thousands of years as rocks break down and mix with humus, the dark organic matter from decayed plants and animals. India has six main soil types. Alluvial soil, laid by rivers, covers the great plains. Black soil from volcanic rock holds moisture and suits cotton. Red soil gets its colour from iron. Laterite soil, from heavy rain washing out minerals, hardens like brick. Desert soil is sandy, and mountain soil is thin and rocky. The old Sanskrit dictionary Amarakoṣha lists 12 kinds of land.
Good soil can be lost to erosion and overuse. Traditional ways to protect it include crop rotation (changing crops season to season), multiple cropping, contour ploughing across slopes, organic manure and mixes like panchagavya made from cow products. Today farmers also use terracing on hills, afforestation (planting trees to hold soil) and mulching (covering soil with straw or leaves to keep moisture).
Explore: match the soil.
- Sort each clue.
Remember
- India's main soils are alluvial, black, red, laterite, desert and mountain.
- Crop rotation, contour ploughing, manure, terracing, trees and mulching protect soil.
Quick check
Covering soil with straw or leaves to keep moisture in is …
- mulching
- terracing
- threshing
- grafting
Answer
mulching. Mulching also slows erosion and weeds.
Think about it
Why does ploughing across a slope, not up and down it, save soil?
One answer
Furrows across the slope act like small walls that slow running rainwater, so it soaks in instead of rushing downhill and carrying soil away.
Practice
Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.