Kerala Soil Museum is a museum on the premises of Central Soil Analytical Laboratory at Parottukonam,Thiruvananthapuram District, in the Indian state ofKerala. The museum displays the diverse types of soil in the state. It was set up by the Department of Soil Survey and Conservation ofGovernment of Kerala and inaugurated on 1 January 2014.^[1][2] It has been described as the world's largest soil museum and the first soil museum in India established to international standards.^[3][4]

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.^[5] The museum's staff were trained by personnel from theWorld Soil Museum atWageningen University in theNetherlands.^[4]

The most important exhibits in the museum are a set of 82 display containers 1.5 metres tall which preserve and display the intactsoil profiles of all of the 82soil series recognised in the state of Kerala.^[2] 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.^[2][4] The soil classifications displayed in the museum are based on theUS Department of Agriculture soil taxonomy.^[2]

Other exhibits include ageological map of Kerala; a map of Kerala showing the distribution of the eightsoil orders represented in the state; collections of rocks and minerals and the physical constituents of soil, such asclay,silt,sand, stone, andgravel; displays explaininghow soils are formed; and displays about the relationship of soil to the issues offood security andclimate change.^[2]

Attached to the museum is a Soil Information Centre that exhibits a model of awatershed, illustrating both the elements of a watershed and a variety of conservation measures.^[2]

• List of science centers#Asia

• Media related toKerala Soil Museum at Wikimedia Commons

• 2014 establishments in Kerala
• Soil science in India
• Science museums in India
• Organisations based in Thiruvananthapuram
• Museums established in 2014
• Museums in Thiruvananthapuram
• Science and technology in Kerala
• Soil and crop science organizations

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