Black soil, also known as regur soil or black cotton soil, is formed by the weathering of lava-solidified rocks over long periods of time. It is found mainly in the Deccan region of India, including parts of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Black soil is very fertile due to its high mineral and iron content, making it suitable for growing crops like cotton, cereals, oilseeds and sugarcane.

2. Soil is the uppermost layer of Earth’s crust.
Soil is the medium in which plants grow and
thus it supports the lives on earth . Soils are
formed due to the weathering of rocks.

3. Black Soil
Black soils are mainly found over the Deccan lava
tract (Deccan Trap) including Maharashtra, Madhya
Pradesh, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. These soils
are found in river valley of Narmada, Tapi, Godavari
and Krishna.

4. BLACK SOIL IS:-
Clayey, deep
They swell and become sticky when wet and shrink
when dried
During dry season, these soils develop wide cracks.
Rich in lime and iron, magnesia and alumina
Also contain potash
Lack phosphorus, nitrogen and organic matter
Colour of the soil ranges from deep black of grey.

5. CHARACTERISTICS:
Fine textured and clayey in nature .
Has high qualities of lime, iron, magnesium, and
generally poor percentage of phosphorous, nitrogen
and organic matter.

6. CROPS:
Cotton cultivation
Suitable for growing cereals, rice, wheat, jowar,
oilseeds, citrus fruits and vegetables, tobacco and
sugarcane.
Their moisture –retentiveness makes them suitable
for dry farming.

7. BLACK SOIL (SUMMARY)
Black soil is made from lava-solidified rocks and is
also called as ‘Black Cotton Soil’ or ‘Regur Soil’.
The black colour of regur soil is due to its iron
content, deriving from plutonic lava materials.
Mainly found in the Deccan region which includes
the major part of Maharashtra, Gujarat and part of
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Cotton is most important crop

8. Chernozem
Chernozem "black dirt" or "black earth", is a
black-coloured soil containing a high percentage
of humus. (7% to 15%), and high percentages
of phosphoric
acids, phosphorus and ammonia.[ernozem is very
fertile and produces a high agricultural yield.

9. DISTRIBUTION
From eastern Croatia along the Danube
northeast Ukraine across the Black Earth Region and
southern Russia into Siberia, and the other in
the Canadian Prairies. Similar soil types occur
in Texas and Hungary. Chernozem layer thickness may
vary widely, from several inches up to 60 inches (1.5
meters) in Ukraine.

10. VERTISOLS
A Vertisols is a soil in which there is a high content
of expansive clay , that forms deep cracks in drier
seasons or years. Alternate shrinking and swelling
causes self-mulching, where the soil material
consistently mixes itself, causing vertisols to have an
extremely deep A horizon and no B horizon.

11. TERRA PRETA
Terra preta , literally "black earth" or "black land“ is a
type of very dark, fertile anthropogenic soil found in
the Amazon Basin. Terra preta owes its name to its
very high charcoal content, and was made by adding a
mixture of charcoal, bone, and manure to the
otherwise relatively infertile Amazonian soil. It is very
stable and remains in the soil for thousands of years. It
is also known as "Amazonian dark earth" or "Indian
black earth".

13. Formation and composition
Black soil is formed by the decomposition of lava
rocks. Hence this type of soil is mostly found in the
volcanic regions. It is usually found away from the
coastal areas and is most suitable for growing cotton.
Black soil is composed from red soil in long period of
time. minerals and organic decayed mix with red soil
and it became black and more fertile