The six major soils are found in India. The soils and their characteristics are as under:

1. Alluvial soils: These are found in Northern plain and coastal plains. They are fine grained. These are of two types khadar and Bangar. Khadar is new alluvial and Bangar is old. They are generally rich in potash but poor in phosphorus.

2. Red soils: The raxwell derives its colour from their parent rocks. These are deficient in Humus content and lack in plant nutritions. These soils are found in Tamil nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Eastern Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Chotanagpur region.

3. The black soils: These soils are derived from the Deccan trap. They are mainly found in Maharashtra, Western Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. They are rich in calcium and magnesium carbonate but poor in organic matter, Phosphorus and nitrogen.

4. Laterite Soils: They develop where the climate is moist. They have hydrated oxide of aluminium and iron. They are poor in humus. They are mainly found in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Western districts of Karnataka, parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya and Assam.

5. Desert soils: These soils develop under arid climatic conditions. These soils are poor in humus content but rich in insoluble salts. They are found in large parts of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana.

6. Mountain soils: These are found on high mountains and are called mountain soils. These Sohail sir free from deformation and decomposition. They are less fertile. Their colour is generally grey.