Dry Soil of Pakistan

dry soil of pakistan
2.3 Soils

Aridity prevailing over major part of Pakistan is the main climatic characteristic that affects its soils. This has resulted in limiting the soil moisture and scantiness of vegetative cover. Soils in Pakistan are rich in Basic but poor in Nitrogenous matter.

2.3.1 Parent Material

The soils of Pakistan are derived from two types of parent materials:
1. Alluvium, Loess and wind reworked sands. They are of mixed mineralogy.

2. Residual material obtained from weathering of underlying rocks. Most of the rocks are Calcareous . In some areas, Granites have produced non-calcareous soil material. Very small quantities of salts are released from most of the rocks. The soils are therefore, essentially non-saline.

2.3.2 Soil Classification

The soils of Pakistan have acquired distinct characteristics from the parent material and by their mode of formation. The river-laid sediments have developed into Alluvial Soils. The desert sands have turned into distinct soils. The hills, mountains and the plateaus have produced Residual Soils with patches of Alluvial, Loess and other soils. Accordingly, the soils of Pakistan can be classified into the following six types:

Alluvial Soils of the Flood Plains
Alluvial Soils of the Bar Uplands
Soils of the Piedmont Plains
Desert Soils
Soils of Potwar Plateau
Soils of Western Hills

Based on these broad classes, Table 4 presents areas under different soil types in Pakistan. Map 13 presents the 26 broad Soil Types of Pakistan.

Map 12

Map 13

Table 4. Soil Types of Pakistan
Soil Type
Area
(000’ ha)

%tage
1. Loamy and sandy stratified soils
1.0

0.1
2. Loamy and clayey non-calcareous soils
4.6

0.6
3. MOUNTAINS: Loamy shallow soils

VALLEYS : Loamy non-calcareous soils

18.6

2.3
4. Loamy sandy stratified soils
1.5

0.2
5. Loamy clayey non-calcareous soils
7.7

1.0
6. Loamy non-calcareous soils of alluvial/loess plains
18.2...