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Not AvailableReviews in the past on the significance of minerals indicated that despite our best management interventions the actual agricultural productivity does vary because factors beyond our control. One intrinsic factor in yield variation is soil type and clay is an important soil constituent that controls many properties. There is ample evidence to show that the amount and type of clay in a soil has a very important bearing on the genesis, characteristics, and physical and chemical properties and nutrient dynamics in soil plant continuum of soils. However, infor-mation with regard to significance that clay and other soil minerals have in major bulk proper-ties of soils (edaphology) and in finding signatures of climate change in soils/sediments of the past (paleopedology) has been rare. A search for links between mineralogy and soil properties of agricultural importance and use of minerals in unravelling the climate of the past often poses problems because descriptions of soil minerals are inadequate or incomplete. This be-comes more difficult as soil minerals do not remain as specimen minerals in soil environment. An endeavour made at NBSS&LUP in 2000 indicated that first hurdle lies in proper identification, let alone quantitative estimation, of soil clays and other minerals. However, through sustained efforts by the researchers at NBSS & LUP (ICAR) since then, further advances in knowledge has been possible and this demands for another critical review. Thus, this review is the synthesis of the updated knowledge, which has come out as state of the art information that will fulfill the need of a hand book to facilitate their better management for optimizing their productivity in the 21° Century even amidst the climatic adversities due to climate change.Not Availabl