What are Vertisols made of?

Vertisols are soils with a high content of clay minerals that shrink and swell as they change water content. The clay minerals adsorb water and increase in volume (swell) when wet and then shrink as they dry, forming large, deep cracks.

How the Vertisols soil are formed?

Vertisols (from Latin verto, “turn”) are clay-rich soils that shrink and swell with changes in moisture content. During dry periods, the soil volume shrinks and deep wide cracks form. The soil volume then expands as it wets up.

Are Vertisols clay?

Vertisols are clayey soils, which have deep, wide cracks on some occasions during the year and slickensides within 100 cm of the soil surface. They shrink when dry and swell when moistened. Vertisols make up a relatively homogenous order of soils because of the amount and kind of clay that is common to them.

Is Vertisols the most fertile soil?

Vertisols are highly fertile due to their high clay content; however, water tends to pool on their surfaces when they become wet. Vertisols are located in areas where the underlying parent materials allow for the formation of expansive clay minerals. They occupy about 2% of the glacier-free land surface.

In which district Vertisols soil are found?

Vertisols Districts: Jhalawar, Kota, Bundi and small part of Sawai Madhopur, Bharatpur, Dungarpur, Chittorgarh and Banswara.

Are Vertisols fertile?

Vertisols are also fertile soils. Their dark color is often mistakenly attributed to organic matter, but our Vertisols have lower organic matter contents than most other soils in the state.

Where are Vertisols found in India?

Vertisols occur extensively in central India and have high production potentials. Because of the high clay content (40-60% or more), high bulk density (1.5-1.8 Mg m-3) and related properties, these soils have high moisture storage capacity. Conversely, these soils become very hard when dry and very sticky when wet.