Describe the features of Arid soils and Forest soils. Mention the places where they are found in India.

(1) Arid soils: (a) Features: (i) They range from red to brown in colour.
(ii) They are generally sandy in texture and saline in nature.
(iii) ln some areas, the soil contains high percentage of soluble salt and lack in organic matter.
(iv) Soil lacks humus and moisture.
(v) The lower horizons of the soil are occupied by Kankar.
(vi) These sols can become cultivable if irrigation facilities are made available as has been in the case of western Rajasthan.
(b) Places: These soils are found in arid areas of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana.
(2) Forest soils: (a) Features: (i) They are found in mountainous area. (ii) They are loamy and silty in valley slides and coarse grained in the upper slopes. (iii)In the snow covered areas of the Himalayas they are acidic with low humus content.
(b) Places: They are found in the hilly and mountainous areas where sufficient rain forests are available. These places are Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.