The river Ganges carries a large river load of broken down rock material eroded from the Himalayas. During the rainy season, when most of the rivers of India are in flood, this material is deposited along the rivers floodplains.
Assam is a tea growing region on the floodplain of the Brahmaputra river. Fertile alluvial soils rich in the nutrients have been deposited by the river creating the largest tea growing region in the world.
The soft and light material is called alluvium and is very fertile. Rice is one of the main crops grown on this fertile soil, it is Indias main crop and covers 25% of all farmland.
The soil formed by from the lava rocks of the Deccan Plateau is generally black in color. The black soil is very good for growing cotton.
The soils in the Thar Desert are infertile due to a lack of water. Without water little vegetation grows so there is no organic matter to form humus.
The soil on the slopes of the Himalayas is often very thin and poor in nutrients. As these soils are infertile and unproductive the rough grazing of goats dominates agriculture.
The southern coasts have India have a tropical climate with high temperatures and high levels of rainfall. This has resulted in the formation of tropical red soils.
Develop this more using your notes from rainforest Biome….could mention deforestation and infertile soils.
India Relief:
Use the notes from your hand-out and the following:
The relief of India have a major impact on the monsoon rains. As the moisture laden monsoon rains blow from sea to land they are forced to rise over a number of highland regions.
Moisture laden air cools as it rises over mountains. As it cools condensation and precipitation occurs which results in relief rainfall. This rainfall is essential for agriculture.
The Western Ghats are the first highlands of India that the south west Monsoon winds encounter. The heavy rainfall that occurs here results in a concentration on tropical fruits plantations.
The Himalayas also cause relief rainfall which creates the high levels of precipitation that are required for rice production. Without the Himalayas, the Monsoon winds would blow right over the Indian subcontinent without causing any rainfall.