Red soil is a type of soil that typically develops in warm, temperate , and humid climates and comprises approximately 13% of Earth's soils. It contains thin organic and organic-mineral layers of highly leached soil resting on a red layer of alluvium . Red soils contain large amounts of clay and are generally derived from the weathering of ancient crystalline and metamorphic rock. They are named after their rich red color, varying from reddish brown to reddish yellow due to their high iron content. Red soil can be good or poor growing soil depending on how it is managed. It is usually low in nutrients and humus and can be difficult to cultivate due to its low water holding capacity ; however, the fertility of these soils can be optimized with liming and other farming techniques.
14-507: (Redirected from Red Dirt ) Red dirt or Red Dirt may refer to: Soils [ edit ] Red soil Ultisol , or red clay soil Latosol , or tropical red earth Arts and entertainment [ edit ] Red dirt (music) , a music genre Red Dirt (film) , a 2000 American film "Red Dirt" ( Fear the Walking Dead ) , a television episode Red Dirt: Growing up Okie ,
28-558: A 1997 book by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz See also [ edit ] All pages with titles containing Red dirt Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Red dirt . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Red_dirt&oldid=1161610582 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
42-545: A lack of sufficient nutrients. These soils are also prone to frequent drought in drier regions. Red soils are generally derived from the weathering of crystalline and metamorphic rock in areas of high rainfall. Red soil contains large amounts of clay and thin organic and organic-mineral layers of highly leached soil resting on an alluvium red layer. The composition and agricultural properties of red soil vary across regions. One type of red soil may be considered infertile in one region but nutrient-rich in another. There
56-539: A meter in depth and form on sloping hillsides. Like other red soils in the Mediterranean, they tend to form in limestone. The red soils that form in deep sediments are widespread in the lowlands of Greece, occurring on gently sloping terrain. Taxonomically , the Greek red soils belong to Rhodoxeralfs (red alfisol ), Palexeralfs (well-aged alfisols), Xerochrepts (xeric inceptisol ), and Orthents . Red soils denote
70-487: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Red soil Red soils are an important resource because they make up such a large portion of farmland on the earth. In countries such as China, India, and Greece, where there are large amounts of red soil, understanding the soil's properties is crucial to successful agriculture . Red soil properties vary across regions and may require different management practices to achieve
84-620: Is famous for its iron-rich red soil. Aridification Aridification is the process of a region becoming increasingly arid , or dry. It refers to long term change, rather than seasonal variation. It is often measured as the reduction of average soil moisture content. It can be caused by reduced precipitation, increased evaporation, lowering of water tables, and changes in ground cover acting individually or in combination. Its major consequences include reduced agricultural production, soil degradation , ecosystem changes and decreased water catchment runoff. Some researchers have found that
98-503: Is not a singular composition that classifies all red soils. Red soils are typically difficult for crop cultivation because high leaching leads to low water holding capacity , low nutrients, low organic matter ( humus ), and acidification . Fluctuations in the concentration of iron within red soil are found to have significant implications on its fertility and growth properties. The fertility of red soils can be improved with various farming techniques. The soil liming process helps raise
112-458: The pH of acidic soils. Because red soils are generally acidic, liming is a valuable farming technique that allows crops intolerant of acidic environments to thrive in red soil. However, modern research suggests that liming may have long-term environmental consequences on the soil. The systematic overflow of water through the soil gets into the organic matter of relevant sophgate of the soil. Red soils are often deficient in nitrogen , which limits
126-563: The Cuddapah and Vindhayan basins and mixed Dharwarian group of rocks. In the uplands of India, the red soils are thin, poor and gravelly, sandy, or stony and porous, light-colored soils on which food crops like bajra can be grown. In contrast, on the lower plains and valleys, they are rich, deep, dark-colored fertile loam which, under irrigation , can produce excellent crops like cotton , wheat , pulses, tobacco , jowar , linseed , millet , potatoes and fruits . Prince Edward Island
140-441: The best results. Red soils include multiple soil types (e.g. ultisols , alfisols , oxisols ) that are classified as red soil when they develop a distinct reddish color, which can vary from reddish brown to reddish yellow due to their high iron content. In general, red soils possess some characteristics of a good growing soil. They are generally acidic soils, which can be positive for agriculture but, in this case, often cause
154-573: The crops. Red soil resources are estimated to cover 102 million hectare (1,020,000 square kilometers) of land in tropical and subtropical regions of China. The primary areas of distribution are Hainan , Guangdong , and Yunnan among other agricultural regions. Red soils have a significant role in agriculture in Greece as well. They fall into two groups: residual soil forming in place from parent rock and soil forming in deep sedimentary deposits. The residual red soils in Greece tend to be less than
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#1732772628233168-414: The growth properties of most red soil. Phosphorus and potassium can also become limited after the land has been harvested repeatedly. Nutrient application techniques introduce more of these lacking nutrients to the soil and allow them to restore chemicals that have diminished over time. Another management practice that can be used to improve the fertility of red soil is incorporating organic matter into
182-406: The most extensive soil group of India , covering an area of about 350,000 km (10.6% of India's area) across the peninsula. India is rich with red soils in their southern, eastern, and northern regions. There, the soil appears yellow in its hydrated form. This soil, also known as the omnibus group, have been developed over Archaean granite, gneiss and other crystalline rocks, the sedimentaries of
196-401: The soil. Some strategies employed to practice this include the use of organic manure and establishing proper tillage systems for the land. The rotation of crops grown in red soil can significantly help to limit some of the compositional issues mentioned previously. Crop rotation helps to increase the content of organic matter, minimize nitrogen deficiency, and help avoid pests that damage
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