3. Red soils (Alfisols)

• The main parent rocks are crystalline and metamorphic rocks.
• The red colour is due to the presence of oxides of Iron.
• The texture of these soils can vary from sand to clay, the majority being loams.
• On the uplands, the red soils are poor, gravelly and porous.
• But in the lower areas they are rich, deep dark and fertile.
• They are mostly acidic and are poor in lime, Magnesium, Phosphates, Nitrogen and humus.
• They are fairly rich in Potassium.
• The red soils are mostly loamy and hence cannot retain water unlike the black soils.