Field Crops> Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)> Soil

Wheat is grown in a variety of soils of India. Soils with a clay loam or loam texture, good structure and moderate water holding capacity are ideal for wheat cultivation. Care should be taken to avoid very porous and excessively drained soils. Soil should be neutral in its reaction. Heavy soils with good drainage are suitable for wheat cultivation under dry conditions. These soils absorb and retain rain water well. Heavy soils with poor structure and poor drainage are not suitable as wheat is sensitive to water logging. Wheat can be successfully grown on lighter soils provided their water and nutrient holding capacities are improved.

In India, the wheat growing areas can be mainly divided into five soil divisions, viz., (1) the Gangetic alluvium of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, (2) the Indus alluvium of the Punjab and Haryana, (3) the black soil regions of central and couthern India comprising Madhya Pradesh and parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka, (4) the hilly regions of the Himalaya and elsewhere, and (5) the deserst soils of Rajasthan.