Identify the correct soil from the given options to complete the flow chart :
[Flow chart: Heavy Rainfall + High Leaching → ? → Useful for growing Coffee and Tea]
Identify the correct soil from the given options to complete the flow chart :
[Flow chart: Heavy Rainfall + High Leaching → ? → Useful for growing Coffee and Tea]
Options
(B) Laterite soil — heavy rainfall causes intense leaching that strips away nutrients but leaves iron/aluminium oxides, giving a porous, well-drained soil suited to tea and coffee.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark: for correctly selecting option (B) Laterite soil.
Hint
Heavy rainfall + leaching + coffee/tea cultivation = Laterite soil.
Quick Oral Answer
The correct answer is Laterite soil — formed by heavy rainfall causing high leaching, and well suited to growing plantation crops like coffee and tea.
Analysis & Explanation
Heavy rainfall combined with intense leaching produces Laterite soil, which suits tea and coffee cultivation.
Concept
- Leaching washes away silica and soluble nutrients (humus, potash, lime), leaving behind iron oxide and aluminium compounds that give laterite its reddish, coarse, porous character.
- Found in high-rainfall states like Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and parts of Odisha/Assam; well-suited to tea, coffee, rubber, cashew and coconut.
Why not the other options
- Alluvial soil: river-deposited, highly fertile, found in the Northern Plains — unrelated to leaching.
- Red soil: forms on crystalline igneous rocks under low-to-moderate rainfall.
- Black soil (regur): lava-derived, moisture-retentive, ideal for cotton, not tea/coffee.
Common Mistakes
- 1Confusing laterite soil with red soil because both have a reddish colour, but red soil is not formed by heavy leaching.
- 2Selecting black soil due to its association with cash crops, forgetting black soil is specifically linked to cotton, not tea/coffee.
- 3Overlooking that alluvial soil is river-deposited and unrelated to leaching or plantation crops like tea/coffee.
Interesting Facts
Laterite soil gets its name from the Latin word 'later', meaning brick, because when wet it is soft enough to be cut into bricks but hardens permanently on exposure to air.
Major tea-growing laterite regions include the Nilgiri and Western Ghats areas of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Laterite soils cover significant areas of Karnataka, Kerala, parts of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and the hilly regions of Assam and West Bengal.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is laterite soil good for tea and coffee but not for most food crops?
Heavy leaching removes essential nutrients like humus, potash and lime from laterite soil, making it poor for most food crops, but its high rainfall regions and drainage suit hardy plantation crops like tea and coffee.
Where is laterite soil mainly found in India?
In Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, parts of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and hilly areas of Assam and West Bengal that receive heavy rainfall.