What kind of soil is most suitable for growing cashew nuts?

The correct answer is Red laterite soil.

Key Points

• Red laterite soils are formed due to the weathering of laterite rocks.
  • Red laterite soil is most suitable for growing cashew nuts.
  • Laterite soils are rich in iron and aluminium content.
  • Usually rusty-red in colour due to the high iron oxide content.
  • It is suitable for building purposes.
  • Red laterite soils in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala are mor suitable for tea plantations.

Additional Information

• Black soil is well suited for the cultivation of cotton so it is also called cotton soil.
  • It is also called ‘Regur Soil’ or the ‘Black Cotton Soil’
  • It is formed by the disintegration of basalt.
• Alluvial soils are the most extensive soil type in India.
  • Alluvial soils are formed from the sediments deposited by the rivers.
  • It is rich in potash and poor in nitrogen and organic matter.
  • Alluvial soils are most suitable for growing wheat, rice, maize, sugarcane, pulses, etc.
• Red and yellow soils are derived from granites, gneisses and other metamorphic rocks.
  • The soil looks reddish in colour due to a wide diffusion of iron in crystalline and metamorphic rocks and it looks yellow when it occurs in a hydrated form.
  • Red and yellow soils are most suitable for growing wheat, cotton, pulses, tobacco, millets, oilseeds, potato, etc.