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North-eastern Hills (Purvachal)

North-eastern Hills (Purvachal) with warm per-humid climate includes hilly states of
Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and southern Tripura. The AER covers an area of
10.6 m ha, with shallow to very deep, loamy, red and lateritic and red and yellow soils. Rice
is the dominant crop grown in valleys and on hill terraces. Millets, maize and potatoes are
cultivated on terraces at higher altitudes, while rice and jute are grown under rainfed
condition. Oilseeds (mustard) and pulses (black gram, green gram, lentil) are cultivated in
valleys as post-rainy season crops. Deficiency of Zn and B was prevalent in the area of
Purvachal (Eastern Range) with 9.9 and 20.3% samples falling in deficient range,
respectively. Few soil samples also exhibited Cu, Fe and Mn deficiency.

Map 4. Mn deficiency in the soils of different AESRs of India

Eastern Coastal Plain

Eastern Coastal Plain with hot sub-humid to semiarid climate extends from Kanyakumari to
Gangetic Delta. The AER covers an area of 8.5 m ha, and is divided into five AESRs.
The main crops cultivated in the area are r i c e and coconut. In some parts, pulses such as
black gram and lentil, and oilseed crops such as sunflower and groundnut are cultivated after