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. Identify their soils. [Hint: Sub-categories of a major soil type.] Which one of them is superior to the other? Why?

Answer 1

Pawan’s farm is along the Ganges, where the soil is likely to be Khadar soil, a sub-category of alluvial soil found near rivers. Akash’s farm, 20 kilometers away from the Ganges, would have Bhangar soil, the older alluvial soil found away from the river.

Khadar soil (new alluvium) is more fertile than Bhangar soil (old alluvium). This is because Khadar is newer alluvium deposited by rivers and is rich in fine silt and nutrients, while Bhangar consists of older deposits that have been subjected to leaching and contain kankar (lime nodules). Therefore, Pawan’s Khadar soil is superior to Akash’s Bhangar soil, enabling him to get better yields with lower inputs of fertilizer and irrigation.