This study was conducted to assess the effect of soil quality and fertility in relations to rootknot nematodes infestations on turmeric growing soils of Nizamabad district of Telangana sate during kharif, 2018. Twenty-eight surface soil samples representing seven turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) growing mandals of Nizamabad districts of Telangana namely Sirikonda, Armoor, Kammarpally, Velpur, Balkonda, Jakranpally and Dharpally. The climate of the study area was semi-arid and monsoonic climate. The sites selected were confined to nearly level to gently undulating slopes and have granular to sub angular blocky structures. All the soils showed well developed structural variation and exhibited granular to sub angular blocky structure. The soil texture varied from sandy loam to clay. The soils are neutral to slightly alkaline in reaction and non-saline. The soils are low to medium in available nitrogen, medium to high in available phosphorus and potassium. This study indicates that turmeric crops grown in the selected localities with four major turmeric genotypes (Duggirala red, ACC-79, ACC-48 and Rajapuri).  All the turmeric genotypes except ACC-79 were infested with root-knot nematodes occurrence in which almost all the roots have knot-like appearance was reported and also soil sampling revealed that crop showed the significant presence of Meloidogyne species as a pathogen. In all the turmeric growing soils, prominent disease symptoms were developed as gall formation in the root region and poor plant growth resulting crop yield loss to the farmers.

Keywords: Turmeric Root knot nematode, Nizamabad, Meloidogyne species, soil quality and soil fertility.