Method. Divide the class into six groups, one per soil type. Each group uses Fig. 1.10 as its starting list, then adds the vegetables, fruits and trees it can confirm from a local farmer, a nursery, a market seller or the state agriculture website. Present the findings as one large wall chart with the map of Fig. 1.9 in the middle and six labelled boxes around it.
The starting list — exactly what Fig. 1.10 records for each soil area:
| Soil type | Crops shown in Fig. 1.10 |
|---|---|
| Alluvial soil | rice, wheat, maize, barley, bajra* (pearl millet), chana dal (chickpea), mustard and groundnuts (peanut), sugarcane, jute, cotton*, fruits and vegetables |
| Black soil | wheat, rice*, jowar (sorghum), urad dal (black gram), sunflower, linseed (flax), groundnuts, cotton, sugarcane, fruits and vegetables |
| Red soil | rice, wheat*, ragi (finger millet), arhar dal (red gram), groundnuts and mustard*, cotton*, tobacco, vegetables and fruits |
| Laterite soil | rice, wheat*, ragi, groundnut, sunflower, tea, coffee, rubber, cinchona, coconut, areca nut and cashew nut, yam, tapioca |
| Alpine / mountain soil | rice, tea, nutmeg, cardamom, vegetables and fruits |
| Sandy (desert) soil | maize*, bajra, groundnut, vegetables and fruits |
* Read the asterisk carefully. Fig. 1.10 explains: “These crops are not here on the ideal soil for their cultivation, but can be grown with efficient irrigation.” So an asterisk marks a crop that the farmer has brought to that soil, not one the soil naturally suits.
Vegetables, fruits and trees your groups can add:
| Soil type | Vegetables | Fruits | Trees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alluvial | potato, cauliflower, cabbage, brinjal, bhindi, spinach | mango, banana, guava, litchi, papaya | mango, neem, sheesham, bamboo, poplar |
| Black | onion, tomato, chilli, brinjal | orange (Nagpur), grapes, pomegranate, custard apple | neem, babul, tamarind, teak |
| Red | tomato, chilli, drumstick, beans | mango, cashew, sapota (chikoo), amla | cashew, mahua, sal, palmyra |
| Laterite | tapioca, yam, colocasia, ash gourd | pineapple, jackfruit, banana, mangosteen | coconut, areca nut, rubber, cashew, jackfruit |
| Alpine / mountain | peas, cabbage, potato, beans | apple, apricot, walnut, cherry, plum | deodar, pine, oak, willow, tea bushes |
| Sandy | guar (cluster bean), moth bean, kachri, cucumber | ber (jujube), date palm, watermelon, pomegranate | khejri, babul, neem, date palm |