भारतातील सर्वाधिक प्रदेश ________ मृदेने व्यापला आहे.

The correct answer is Alluvial Soil.

Key Points

• Soils are complex mixtures of minerals, water, air, organic matter, and countless organisms that are the decaying remains of once-living things.
• Soils are formed as a result of weathering of rocks.
• Different regions of India have different types of soils.
• Each soil has unique properties and characteristics.

Types Of Soil | Characteristics

Alluvial soil | Alluvial Soil covers 45.6 percent of the total geographical area of the country.

Alluvial soil contains silt, sand, clay, and gravel as well as hummus, lime, and organic matter.

It is usually most extensive in the lower part of a river's course, forming floodplains and deltas, but they may form at any point where the river overflows.

Major characteristics of alluvial soil are it is made by the deposition of the river load as it flows from its upper to its lower.

On the basis of its ages alluvial soil is divided into Bhangar (Old alluvium) and Khadar (New alluvium).

It is porous as well as light, so it is easily tillable.

They are generally rich in potash but poor in phosphorous.

Alluvial soil is widespread in northern plains and river valleys.

Wheat, rice, maize, sugarcane, pulses, oilseed are mainly cultivated in alluvial soil.

Laterite soil | Laterite Soil is poor in lime but rich in Iron.

Laterite Soil is poor in lime, phosphorous, calcium, and nitrogen.

Bricks are made for house construction by laterite soil.

Laterite Soil is peculiar to India- Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Odisha.

Cashew, Tapioca, Coffee, and Rubber are the important crops of laterite soil.

Black soil | Black Soil covers 16.6 percent of the total geographical area of the country.

The parent material for most of the black soil is the volcanic rocks that were formed in the Deccan Plateau.

Black soil covers most of the Deccan Plateau.

This includes parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and some parts of Tamil Nadu.

These soils are also known as the ‘Regur Soil’ or the ‘Black Cotton Soil’.

The color of the soil ranges from deep black to grey.

The black soils are generally clayey, deep, and impermeable.

They swell and become sticky when wet and shrink when dried.

So, during the dry season, this soil develops wide cracks.

They retain moisture for a very long time which helps crops to sustain even during the dry season.

Chemically, the black soils are rich in lime, iron, magnesia, and alumina.

But they lack phosphorous, nitrogen, and organic matter.

Red soil | Red and Yellow Soil covers 10.6 percent of the total geographical area of the country.

Red soil area extends into and includes the greater part of Jharkhand and West Bengal.

Red soils have originated from weathering of the ancient crystalline, and metamorphic rocks.

These are porous, friable, and neutral to acidic in nature.

These soils are poor in nitrogen, phosphate, lime, and humus.

Suitable for the cultivation of ragi, groundnut, millet, potato, tobacco, paddy, wheat, and sugarcane.

Thus, alluvial soil covers the largest area in India.