Question

Arrange the given below orders of soils (as per ICAR classification), in a sequence of increasing area under them
A. Vertisols
B. Ultisols
C. Alfisols
D. Inceptisols
E. Entisols
Choose the correct answer from the options given below

• A. E, B, C, D, A
• B. B, E, C, A, D
• C. B, A, C, E, D
• D. E, C, D, B, A

Hint:

To easily remember the soil orders of India by area: Inceptisols are the largest, followed by Entisols, Alfisols, Vertisols, Aridisols, and Ultisols.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) classifies the soils of India into various soil orders based on the USDA soil taxonomy.
These orders occupy different geographical areas across the country, and their distribution is determined by factors such as climate, parent material, topography, and time.
Detailed Explanation:
Let us analyze the approximate percentage of geographical area occupied by each of the given soil orders in India:
1. Inceptisols (D): This is the most dominant soil order in India, covering approximately \( 4\% \) of the total geographical area. These are embryonic soils with minimal profile development.
2. Entisols (E): The second most widespread order, covering about \( 0\% \) of the area. These are weakly developed soils lacking diagnostic horizons.
3. Alfisols (C): Covers approximately \( 13.5\% \) of the country's area, including many of the red soils of southern and eastern India.
4. Vertisols (A): Covers around \( 8.5\% \) of the area, consisting of expanding clay soils (black cotton soils) primarily in the Deccan plateau.
5. Ultisols (B): Covers a small fraction of the area (approximately \( 2.5\% \)), mainly restricted to highly weathered, warm, humid regions of northeast India and the Western Ghats.
Arranging these in a sequence of increasing area (from smallest to largest) gives:
Ultisols (B) $<$ Vertisols (A) $<$ Alfisols (C) $<$ Entisols (E) $<$ Inceptisols (D).
This sequence is represented by B, A, C, E, D.

Step 2: Final Answer:
The correct sequence is B, A, C, E, D, corresponding to Option (C).