EVALUATION OF NUTRIENT INPUTS ON SOIL FERTILITY STATUS AND GRAPE YIELD OF VINEYARDS IN RED SOILS (ALFISOLS) OF KOPPAL DISTRICT KARNATAKA INDIA

A study was conducted to evaluate the major nutrient status in different vineyards and its influence on soil fertility and grape yields in red soils of Yelburga taluk Koppal district Karnataka.Based on the previous year yield data, the thirty vineyards were classified into three groups namely, low yielding vineyards (LYV), medium yielding vineyards (MYV) and high yielding vineyards (HYV).The soil samples were collected before October pruning and after harvest of the crop.The soil pH and EC did not show significant difference among different groups of vineyards.Significantly higher soil organic carbon (7.54 0.34 g kg -1 ) was recorded in HYV group.The available nitrogen (384.57 57.06 kg ha -1 ), phosphorous (75.25 14.22 kg ha -1 ) and potassium status (667.37 59.22 kg ha -1 ) were noticed significantly higher in HYV group.The grape yield was recorded significantly higher (33.15 2.69 t ha - 1 ) in HYV group compared to MYV (26.25 1.02 t ha -1 ) and LYV group (19.70 1.58 t ha -1 ).The differences in yields of vineyards is depends on nutrient inputs applied and soil fertility status.Hence, it is important to adopt good nutrient management practices to ensure sustainable grape yields in vineyards.