Pick up a handful of soil in Jaisalmer and it runs through your fingers like sugar. Do the same in Kota and it clings, dark and heavy, especially after rain. Rajasthan's soils vary as much as its landscapes, and they decide what farmers can grow, how much water they need, and how vulnerable the land is to degradation. In a state where much of the land is dry, protecting the soil is also the front line against desertification.
Soil types
| Soil | Regions | Characteristics | Crops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desert (sandy) soil | Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Churu | Loose, coarse sand; low organic matter and nitrogen; high permeability; poor water retention | Bajra, moth, guar (rain-fed); canal areas: wheat, mustard, cotton |
| Grey-brown (sierozem) soil | Eastern desert margin — Nagaur, Pali, Jalore, Sikar, Jhunjhunu | Sandy loam; somewhat better fertility | Bajra, pulses, mustard |
| Red-yellow soil | Ajmer, Bhilwara, Sawai Madhopur, parts of Udaipur and Chittorgarh | Formed from crystalline rocks; red colour from iron oxides | Maize, pulses, groundnut |
| Red loamy soil | Southern Rajasthan — Dungarpur, Banswara, Udaipur | Fine-grained, reddish | Maize, rice (in parts), sugarcane |
| Black (regur) soil | Hadoti — Kota, Bundi, Baran, Jhalawar | Clayey, moisture-retentive; cracks when dry; from Deccan lava | Soybean, cotton, wheat, coriander, sugarcane |
| Alluvial soil | Eastern plains — Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Tonk, Sawai Madhopur; Ghaggar plain | Fertile; deposited by rivers | Wheat, mustard, barley, pulses |
| Saline and alkaline soils | Parts of Barmer, Jalore, Nagaur, Pali, canal areas of Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh | White crust of salts; poor fertility | Need reclamation (gypsum, drainage) |
| Hilly soil | Aravalli slopes | Thin and stony | Forests, pasture |
Soil problems
| Problem | Where | Cause |
|---|---|---|
| Wind erosion | The desert | Strong winds, loose sand, sparse vegetation |
| Water erosion | Aravalli slopes, south and south-east | Heavy rain on bare slopes |
| Ravines | Chambal valley — Dholpur, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur, Kota | Gully erosion; badland formation |
| Salinity and alkalinity | Canal-irrigated areas and low-lying tracts | Rising water tables; evaporation leaving salts |
| Waterlogging | Indira Gandhi Canal command (Hanumangarh, Sri Ganganagar) | Seepage, over-irrigation, poor drainage |
| Nutrient loss | Across the state | Continuous cropping without organic matter; imbalanced fertiliser use |
Desertification
Desertification is land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, resulting from climatic variations and human activities. It is not simply the "spread of the desert", but the loss of the land's productivity.
How much of Rajasthan is affected?
ISRO's Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas shows that Rajasthan has the largest area undergoing desertification and land degradation of any Indian state — a large share of its geographical area.
Causes
- Climate — low, erratic rainfall; high temperatures; strong winds.
- Overgrazing — large livestock numbers on shrinking common lands.
- Deforestation — fuelwood and clearing for cultivation.
- Expansion of cultivation into marginal, fragile lands.
- Over-extraction of groundwater.
- Mining in the Aravallis and elsewhere.
- Poor irrigation practices — waterlogging and salinity.
Impacts
- Falling crop and fodder yields.
- Moving dunes burying fields, roads and canals.
- Dust storms.
- Loss of biodiversity.
- Migration and poverty.
Responses
| Measure | Details |
|---|---|
| Research | Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), Jodhpur, founded in 1959 — research on dune stabilisation, arid agriculture, agroforestry |
| Shelterbelts | Rows of trees to reduce wind speed |
| Sand-dune stabilisation | Planting grasses (sewan, dhaman) and shrubs; micro-windbreaks |
| Afforestation | Along the Indira Gandhi Canal and on degraded lands |
| Watershed development | Check dams, bunds, contour trenches |
| Desert Development Programme | Launched in the late 1970s for hot and cold desert areas |
| Soil Health Cards | Balanced fertiliser use |
| Gypsum | To reclaim alkaline soils |
| Aravalli Green Wall | Restoration along the Aravallis |
| International | India is a party to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and has committed to restoring degraded land |
Practice
Prelims-style:
- Which soil is found in the Hadoti region?
- Where is CAZRI located, and when was it founded?
- Which state has the largest area under desertification and land degradation in India?
- What causes waterlogging in the Indira Gandhi Canal area?
- What is used to reclaim alkaline soils?
Mains-style (50 words): Distinguish between desertification and drought.
Mains-style (100 words): Examine the causes of desertification in Rajasthan and suggest measures to combat it.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the Rajasthan Public Service Commission website .
Get the next RAS guide by email
New guides every week. No spam, unsubscribe any time.