a brief description of soils of Telangana state and water management is presented in these slides.

2. PROF.JAYASHANKAR TELANGANA STATE AGRICULTURE
UNIVERSITY
TERM PAPER ON
SOILS OF TELANGANA AND WATER
MANAGEMENT
Sudha Rani.J.S
RAD /2016-04
Dept.of Agronomy

3. The nature and properties of
soils vary greatly depending on
the variation in Soil forming
factors and processes like…
Physiography
Geology
Climate
Soil moisture and temperature
regimes.etc.
Why different types of Soils are formed?

4. Major Soils Area(m. ha.)
India has geographical area of 329 M.ha
Alluvial soils 75
Black soils 72
Red soils 70
Laterite or Lateritic
soils
25
Saline and Alkali soils 7.5
Desert soils 29
Forest and Hill Soils
Peaty and Marshy
soils
Soil types in India

5. Telangana State:
Mean Annual Rainfall of Telangana : 906.6mm
Gross Cropped Area : 62.88 lakh ha
Net Cropped Area : 49.61 lakh ha
Gross Irrigated Area : 31.64 lakh ha
Net Irrigated area : 22.55 lakh ha
Cropping Intesity : 127 %
Irrigation Intensity : 138 %
Percent Area Under Rainfed Agriculture : 63.6 %
Percent Area under ground water : 84 %
source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics: Statstical year book 2016
5

6. S.No Crop Gross cropped
area
Gross
Irrigated
area
Percent
Irrigated
area
(%)
1 Rice 20.09 19.56 97.37
2 Maize 7.52 2.65 35.16
3 Ground nut 2.10 1.91 90.80
4 Cotton 17.13 2.16 12.62
5 Other crops 16.04 5.37 33.46
Total 62.88 31.64 50.32
Table 1: Crop wise irrigated area (lakh ha) of Telangana (2014-15)
source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics: Statstical year book 2016
6

7. Major Soil types in Telangana
1.Red loamy sands (Dubba soils)
2. Red sandy loams (Chalaka Soils)
3. Lateritic soils
4. Shallow to Medium black soils
5. Deep black soils
6. Salt affected soils
7. Alluvial soils Soils of Andhra pradesh, 1976

8. Dominantly develop in the hot, semi-
arid to sub-humid, sub-tropical climatic
conditions
Major Parent material: Acidic
crystalline rocks such as granite and
gneiss.
Dominant pedogenic process was
illuviation of clay.
Red to yellowish in colour which is
the result of coatings of ferric oxides on
ped surfaces.

9. Occupy relatively higher topographic positions.
In general they vary from loam to clay loam in texture.
They are acidic to neutral in reaction.
Translocated clay form characteristic Bt horizon which is called
as argillic.
They are deficient in nitrogen, phosphorus, micro-nutrients
and organic matter.
Dominant by presence of illite, chlorite and kaolinite type of
secondary minerals.

11. Alluvial soils
The name alluvial is given to soils that have developed on
alluvium, irrespective of their place of occurrence and
degree of profile development.
Parent material: Of recent origin brought and laid down
by various river system.
They represent most fertile land for agricultural
production.

12. They mostly occur in coastal and deltaic regions.
Depending on the climate they may be alkaline in nature
( Contain calcid layer in sub surface- aridic conditions).
Fluvial (stratified) in nature which reflects variation in their
texture.
Inherently rich in plant nutrients, fairer in phosphorus and
potassium but are deficient in nitrogen and organic matter.
Classification:
In genetic system they were classified as Azonal.
Taxanomically as Entisols
Inceptisols
Alfisols
Aridisols

13.  The word Laterite is derived from latin word which means brick.
 Laterites are typically formed in tropical and sub-tropical climates
having alternate wet and dry seasons.
 Siliceous materials leach completely during weathering and
sesquioxides left behind.
 It is compact to vescicular rock, which is composed of oxides iron
and aluminium.
 It is highly weathered rock.
 They are rich in kaolinite.
 They are classified as Oxisols.
Lateritic soils

14. .
Leached silica
Bricks

15. BLACK COTTON SOILS
 The soils are dark in colour, rich in clay content which is >30%.
 They developed on basaltic material with marked alternating wet
and dry conditions.
 The weathered product of the parent rocks are basic and rich in
clays, that is dominantly of smectite type.
 Also develop from granite, gneisses containing lime or soda.

16. They have characteristic property of swell and shrink.
Shrink upon drying and swell on wetting, this expansion
causes pressure on soil particles and lead to Churning
process.
The slippage of one block over other forms slicken slides
Expansion and contraction leads to formation of micro-
topographic features, known as gilgai.

17. Classification:
These soils, as per genetic system are classified in the orders
of Intrazonal &
Azonal (alluvial soils).
According to soil taxonomy the black soils are in the orders:
Vertisols,
Inceptisols,
Entisols.

18.  Salt-affected soils often occur on irrigated lands, especially in arid
and semiarid regions, where annual precipitation is insufficient to
meet the evaporation needs of plants.
 These soils contain considerable amounts of soluble salts and/or
sodium on the exchangeable complex.
 In arid and semi-arid regions due to high evaporative demand, the
dissolved salts move upwards by capillary action.
Salt-affected soils

19. Classification of Salt-affected soils
Class EC(dS/m) pH ESP
Saline >4 <8.5 >15
Saline-sodic >4 >8.5 >15
Sodic <4 >8.5 >15
 Saline soils will develop due to high evaporative demand dissolved
salts in parent material or ground water will come to surface.
 Sodic soils form by byproducts of weathering accumulate by surface
runoff in lower topographies, and during post-monsoon SAR ratio
is increased in the soil.

20. • Ranga Reddy 2.0
• Nizamabad 5.0
• Medak 16.0
• Mahabubnagar 51.0
• Nalgonda 23.6
• Warangal 8.1
• Khammam 6.0
• Karimnagar 4.1
• Adilabad 3.5
• TOTAL 119.3
Extent of salt effected soils in different districts of
Telangana District Area (‘000 ha)

21. Adilabad District is located in Northern Telangana Zone .
Area : 16,105 km2
Majorparent materials: Granite, Gneiss, basalt, sandstone,
limestone.
It has annual rainfall of 1051mm
The district is largely occupied by blacksoils of about 72%
Dominant crops: Jowar, Paddy, Maize, pulses, Cotton, Soybean
etc.
Adilabad
Ground water brochure, Adilabad-2013

22. KARIMNAGAR
Area: 11,823 sq. km Rainfall: 950mm.
Dominant soil types: Sandy loams and red chalkas with interspread
black soils.Alkaline soils are present along chandragiri vagu project,
siricilla, gagillapur, dacharam, thotapally and parts of husnabad.
Parent materials: Granite, gneisses, sandstone, limestone, shale,
quartzite.
Karimnagar CDAP

23. NIZAMABAD
It is one of the Northern district of Telangana, extending over an
area of 7,956 sq. km.
Physiographically the district is located in the table land of the
Deccan plateau.
Average Rainfall is 999 to 1101.0 mm.
Temperature: 14oC
to 40oC
Soils of Nizamabad district showed mostly Red Sandy clay loam to
Sandy loam .
Few pedons show clayey soils.

24.  It is part of Southern deccan plateau.
 Climate is Semi-arid, with mean annual rainfall of 890mm (NBSS &
LUP)The total area is 9,71,086 ha.
 The dominant parent material is Granite-gneiss formed during
archean period of evolution.
 Soils in Medak are mainly effected by physiography, climate and
parent material.Major soils types are Red loamy soil, Black soils &
Laterites.
Medak

25. Distribution of soils in Medak dist
Soil Type Area Slope Parent
material
Location Classification
Red Loamy 70.57%
6,86,979 ha
3-8%
Hills, Hill
summits,
isolated hills,
rolling lands
etc.
Granite &
Granite-
Gneiss
Mutyapalli,
Medak,
Siddipet,
Narayankhed
, Narsapur
etc.
Alfisols
Inceptisols
Entisols
Black 14.56%
1,40,467 ha.
1-3%
Plateaus and
gently
sloping
landforms
Basalt Sadasivapet,
Nyalkal,
Manur,
Kalher, Kohir
etc.
Vertisols
Laterites 8.7%
82,869 ha.
3-8%
Upper
plateau,
broad valleys
Laterite Zaheerabad,
Jerasangam,
Nyalkal,
Kohir etc.
Alfisols
Alluvial soils also present in medak along the coast of Manjira, Haldi, Peddavadu,
Nakkavagu etc. They areclassified inti Entisolsand Inceptisols.
Reddy et al.,
2005

26. Area: 12,834 km2
Rain fall: 994mm
Temperature: 13oC
to 50oC
.
Main Crops: Paddy,Cotton, Maize, Chilli, Greengram, Groundnut.
Soil types: Red earths, Black soils, Forest soils.
WARANGAL

27.  Area: 16,029 sq. km. Rainfall: 1124mm
 Main crops: Paddy, Jowar, Pulses, Groundnut, Chilli, Cotton and Tobacco
KHAMMAM

28. RANGAREDDY
 It is located in Deccan plateau region of Telangana
 Rainfall: 781mm
Soil types:
Red soils: 125000 ha – 51%
 Red Chalka : Medchal, Shameerpet, Quitubullapur,
Hayathnagar, Saroornagar, Rajendranagar
etc.
 Dubba soil: Ibrahim patnam, Yacharam, Maheswaram,
Kandukur etc.
Black cotton soil: 98000 ha – 40%
 Chevella, Shahbad, Vikarabad, Nawabpet, Dharur, Pudur,
Tandur, Peddemul, Yalal, Basheerabad, Marpally, Mominpet
and Bantaram.
Agriculture Contingency Plan
for Rangareddy distict,2014

29. NALGONDA
 It covers an area of 14,240 Sq. Kms.
 The average rainfall in the district is 772 mm.
 On an average there are 46 rainy days. (i.e days with rainfall of over
2.5mm or more).
 Soil Type: The soils of the district are mainly 'red earth's'
comprising loamy sands, sandy loams and sandy clay loams.

30. • Granite, Gneiss, Limestone and alluvium
• Drainage: Krishna along with tributaries like alair, dindi,
halia, peddavagu etc.
• In the areas of flat topography and along sides of river
Krishna and its tributaries, regur or black cotton soil is
found.
• Red soils: 85%
• Black soils: Limestone
• Alluvial soils: 1% along coasts of Alair, kargal etc.

31.  Soil types: Loamy Sands(Dubba): 13%
Red Sandy loams (Chalka): 67%
Black soils: 20%