2.3 Available nutrients in soil
Coffee soils in Wayanad and Idukki districts recorded higher N (282.2 kg ha-1 and 407.7 kg ha-1) in the surface than forest soils however, the N content was higher in Chikmagalur forest soils (407.7 kg ha-1) than coffee soils (Table 3). Coffee ecosystem soils recorded relatively higher P (21.6, 18.7 and 16.1 kg ha-1) and lower potassium content (284.5, 206.1and 138.9 kg ha-1 respectively) in the surface soils of Chikmagalur, Wayanad and Idukki coffee plantations in comparison to that of forest soils. Coffee soils also recorded higher Ca (932.5, 1125.0 and 530.5 mg kg-1 of soil), S and micronutrients like Zn and Cu than forest soils. Calcium concentration at the deeper layers of forest soils (245.2, 209.5 and 77.5 mg kg-1 of soil) was relatively much lower than that of coffee soils. Magnesium content (73.5, 80.8 and 41.0 mg kg-1 of soil) also decreased with depth.