Laterite soil is a rusty colour, iron and aluminium rich rock like appearing soil that gets formed due to prolonged weathering of the parent rocks mainly in hot and humid tropical areas.
Composition: Laterite soil contains mineral and compound content including contents like – Aluminium Oxides, micas, Potash mica, Black mica, Hematite, Iron Oxides, Manganese Oxides, Pyroxene, Plagioclase, etc.
Usefulness: Laterite soil is used for growing rich crops that needs aluminium and iron. It is also used for beautifying construction needs.
Characteristics: The characteristic features of Laterite soil is given below in points.
- Laterite soil is rich in iron and aluminium content.
- Formed in hot and wet tropical areas of the country.
- Is rusty-red in appearance due to the iron oxide content in it.
- Is formed under the chemical weathering due to weather changes.
- Usually poor in lime, potash and magnesium contents.
- Contains low humus content due to formation under high temperature.
Favourable Crops: The crops that grows well in laterite soil includes:
- Coffee
- Tea
- Spices
- Coconut
- Rubber
- Cashew
Climate: Hot, wet and humid climate of the tropical and subtropical regions is most suitable for the laterite soil.
Conclusion: The laterite soil has dual specialization of growing crops and being used for construction purposes as well. This definitely makes it a super soil!
Sehba, Edited.