Which of these statements is not correct regarding black soil in Madhya Pradesh ?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — B, 'This soil is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter.' This is the statement that is NOT true, and therefore the answer. Black soil (regur / black cotton soil) is chemically rich in lime, iron, magnesia, alumina and potash, but it is deficient in nitrogen, phosphorus and humus (organic matter). That is exactly why cotton, soybean and wheat farms on the Malwa Plateau and in the Narmada valley depend on nitrogenous and phosphatic fertiliser even though the soil is called 'fertile' — its fertility comes from mineral content and moisture-holding clay, not from nitrogen or humus.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) This statement is TRUE, so it cannot be the answer. Black soil is a residual soil formed in situ by the weathering of the basaltic lava of the Deccan Traps — the fissure-flow volcanic rock that covers most of western and central Madhya Pradesh.  (c) This statement is TRUE. Black soil carries roughly 20–60% clay of the swelling (montmorillonite) type; it holds water tenaciously, swells when wet and cracks deeply when dry. Its high moisture retention is precisely why it supports a rain-fed cotton crop.  (d) This statement is TRUE. Black soil dominates the Malwa Plateau, the Narmada valley, Nimar and the Satpura tract — the western, south-western and central parts of Madhya Pradesh. Eastern MP (Baghelkhand) is red-and-yellow soil country.

Concept: Black soil (regur, a Vertisol) is a residual soil weathered in place from Deccan Trap basalt. Its defining trait is swelling clay: 20–60% montmorillonite-type clay that expands when wet and opens deep cracks when dry, which is why the soil is described as 'self-ploughing' and why it retains moisture far better than sandy or red soils. Chemically it is well supplied with lime, iron, magnesia, alumina and potash but short of nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter.

State PCS 2025 Q26 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2025 Q26 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer