Question

Pawan and Akash have been friends since childhood. Both of them are farmers in a village near Prayagraj. They often compare their inputs so as to increase their yields. Pawan, whose farm is along the Ganges, gets better yields with lower inputs of fertilizer and irrigation than Akash, whose fields are twenty kilometres away.

What are the characteristics of the soil of Pawan’s and Akash’s farms?

Answer 1

1. Pawan’s farm has Khadar (new alluvium), which consists of fine, silty and clayey soil found in the lower river plains. It is frequently renewed by floods, making it highly fertile and capable of retaining moisture. As a result, it produces better crop yields with less use of fertilizers and irrigation.
2. On the other hand, Akash’s farm has Bhangar (old alluvium), which is a coarser, sandy or gravelly soil found on higher river terraces. It contains kankar (calcium carbonate) nodules, is less fertile, and has lower moisture-retaining capacity. Therefore, it requires more fertilizers and irrigation and generally produces lower yields.

Hence, Pawan obtains better crop yields than Akash because Khadar soil is more fertile and suitable for intensive agriculture than Bhangar soil.