A review on the influence of fertilizers application on grape yield and quality in the tropics

Grapevine nutrition has been a major focus for increasing grapes quality, productivity, and the way of minimizing the gap between actual and potential grape yield. Several nutrient elements are reported to influence grapevine physiological growth, yield, and grape quality. Being a perennial crop, the vines are fertilized with organic fertilizers to ensure a supply of organic carbon, improved soil organic matter content, and enhanced soil microorganisms. Globally, fertilizers with different NPK ratios and micronutrients are used to achieve a better yield and desirable quality of grapes. The deficiency of mineral nutrients results in chlorosis and eventual necrosis of leaves, which affect vine growth, yield, and grape quality in terms of sugar and polyphenols contents, consequently compromising wine quality and other grape-derived products. Thus, the establishment of the vineyard fertilizer program should be nutrient-specific, which takes into account vineyard management strategies that influence nutrient use efficiency from fallen leaves, pruning, soil testing, plant analysis, and other factors that affect yield and quality. However, applying mineral nutrients to grapevines may interfere with the physicochemical composition of grapes and derived products. Therefore, it is important to increase productivity, improve grape quality and ensure sustainable production through an integrated approach of using organic and inorganic fertilizers. This review covers the importance of organic fertilizer, macronutrients, and micronutrients applied to the grapevines for improving productivity and quality of grapes.