Integrated Nutrient Management Using Fertilizer Regimes and Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Enhances Growth and Turf Quality of Cynodon dactylon ‘Fine Dacca’

Abstract

Optimizing fertilizer inputs through the integration of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) offers a viable approach to enhance bermudagrass growth, quality and resource use efficiency. This study was aimed to evaluate the effects of various fertilizer regimes on growth and quality attributes of Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. ‘Fine Dacca’ under agro-ecological conditions of Faisalabad, Pakistan. Six fertilizer treatments, viz. no fertilization (control), N, NPK, NPK + Fe, NPK + Fe + PGPR (MN-54, Bacillus spp.) and polymer coated DAP were applied. Experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Among tested fertilizer regimes, NPK + Fe + PGPR produced superior results for various growth and quality attributes were recorded, as highest tiller length (11.5 cm), number of tillers (27.8), leaves per tiller (13.8), leaf area (0.67 cm2), and leaf blade length (18.8 cm), along with higher fresh and dry weight of tillers (4.1 g and 1.7 g, respectively), chlorophyll contents (0.26 mg g-1) and stolon diameter (0.94 mm). In contrast, grass fertilized with polymer coated DAP resulted in the highest moisture percentage (60.8%). Turf quality attributes including uniformity, density, texture, smoothness and color were also significantly improved under NPK + Fe + PGPR application. Leaf nitrogen content was highest (3.9%) with NPK + Fe + PGPR and NPK + Fe applications, whereas phosphorus (0.9%) and potassium (1.8%) were recorded highest under polymer-coated DAP and NPK treatments, respectively. It was concluded that integrating macronutrients with Fe and PGPR enhanced bermudagrass growth and aesthetic quality, indicating its potential as an effective alternative to conventional fertilization practices.