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'''Kerala Soil Museum''' is a museum on the premises of Central Soil Analytical Laboratory at Parottukonam, [[Thiruvananthapuram District]], in the Indian state of [[Kerala]]. The museum displays the diverse types of soil in the state. It was set up by the Department of Soil Survey and Conservation of [[Government of Kerala]] and inaugurated on 1 January 2014.<ref>{{cite news|title=First Soil Museum Inaugurated|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/First-Soil-Museum-Inaugurated/2014/01/02/article1978006.ece|access-date=5 January 2014|newspaper=The New Indian Express|date=2 January 2014}}</ref><ref name="Hindu">{{cite news|last=T. Nandakumar|title=Museum to Showcase Soil Diversity in Kerala|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/museum-to-showcase-soil-diversity-in-kerala/article5517946.ece|access-date=5 January 2014|newspaper=The Hindu|date=2 January 2014}}</ref> It has been described as the world's largest soil museum and the first soil museum in India established to international standards.<ref>{{cite web|title=CM inaugurates Soil Museum |url=http://www.keralacm.gov.in/index.php/component/content/article/34/2469-cm-inaugurates-soil-museum |publisher=Government of Kerala |access-date=5 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105042944/http://www.keralacm.gov.in/index.php/component/content/article/34/2469-cm-inaugurates-soil-museum |archive-date= 5 January 2014 }}</ref><ref name="World">{{cite news | url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/World%E2%80%99s-Biggest-Soil-Museum/2014/01/02/article1978217.ece | title=World's Biggest Soil Museum | date=2 January 2013 | work=The New Indian Express | access-date=5 January 2014}}</ref>

==History==
The state government established the soil museum to provide an exhibition of the richness of Kerala's soils and mineral resources, as well as to foster public awareness about conservation and ecological protection.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-11/kochi/32173729_1_optimum-yields-soil-conservation-boron|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108193444/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-11/kochi/32173729_1_optimum-yields-soil-conservation-boron|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 January 2014|title=India's first soil museum to come up in Kerala|author=Viju B|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|publisher=Bennett, Coleman & Co|date=11 June 2012|access-date=8 January 2014}}</ref> The museum's staff were trained by personnel from the [[World Soil Museum]] at [[Wageningen University]] in the [[Netherlands]].<ref name="World" />

==Exhibits==

The most important exhibits in the museum are a set of 82 soil [[monolith]]s 1.5 metres tall which preserve and display the intact [[soil profile]]s of all of the 82 [[soil series]] recognised in the state of Kerala.<ref name="Hindu"/> Each monolith was dug from the ground without disturbing its elements and was processed for one month or longer before being mounted for museum display. Alongside each monolith is information about the soil, including the physical characteristics of the soil series, where it is found, its nutrient status, the crops it is best suited for, and recommendations for use and management of land where the soil is present.<ref name="Hindu"/><ref name="World"/> The soil classifications displayed in the museum are based on the [[USDA soil taxonomy|US Department of Agriculture soil taxonomy]].<ref name="Hindu"/>

Other exhibits include a [[geologic map]] of Kerala; a map of Kerala showing the distribution of the eight [[USDA soil taxonomy|soil order]]s represented in the state; collections of rocks and minerals and the physical constituents of soil, such as [[clay]], [[silt]], [[sand]], stone, and [[gravel]]; displays explaining [[Pedogenesis|how soils are formed]]; and displays about the relationship of soil to the issues of [[food security]] and [[climate change]].<ref name="Hindu"/>

Attached to the museum is a Soil Information Centre that exhibits a model of a [[drainage basin|watershed]], illustrating both the elements of a watershed and a variety of conservation measures.<ref name="Hindu"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Scientific Research in Kerala |state=collapsed}}
{{Thiruvananthapuram district |state=collapsed}}
{{Tourism in Kerala|state=collapsed}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:2014 establishments in Kerala]]
[[Category:Soil science in India]]
[[Category:Science museums in India]]
[[Category:Science centres in India]]
[[Category:Organisations based in Thiruvananthapuram]]
[[Category:Museums established in 2014]]
[[Category:Museums in Thiruvananthapuram]]
[[Category:Science and technology in Kerala]]
[[Category:Soil and crop science organizations]]

Kerala Soil Museum - Revision history

>GreenC bot at 16:01, 14 April 2021