Short note on Laterite Soil in India

Laterite soils in India are found in the Eastern Ghat of Orissa, the Southern parts of Western Ghat, Malabar Coastal plains and Ratnagiri of Maharashtra and some part of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Meghalaya, western part of West Bengal.

Laterite soils are said to farraginous aluminous rock. They are formed by decomposition; because of they are found in black soil regions having heavy rainfall. The rocks are completely leached out having a high proportion of iron and aluminium as residue. High temperature and heavy rainfall transformed the black soil into laterite.

The Laterite soils in India are not fertile at all and are not suitable to agriculture. They are coarse in texture and poor in nitrogen, phosphoric acid, potash and urea. These soils are red in colour as it is mixed with iron oxides. Plants like cashew grow well along with Tapioca. These soils are also used as building materials in India. But agriculture can be practiced with the help of fertilizer.