MYCORRHIZAE AND AN ORGANIC AMENDMENT WITH BIOSTIMULANTS IMPROVE GROWTH AND SALINITY TOLERANCE OFCREEPING BENTGRASS DURING ESTABLISHMENT

摘要

As early as 19 days after sowing (DAS) establishment of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustriscv. Tenncross') in containers filled with a USGA sand:peat greens mix and watered with deionisedwater was improved by 20% when inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), by16% when fertilised with GroWind(GW), a granular organic amendment containing seaweedextract biostimulants, and by 58% when both AMF and GW were present in comparison to turfgrown in accordance with USGA recommendations (no AMF, no GW). Increases in the cumulative clipping biomass (collected at 19 and 29 DAS) were 12% (AMF), 27% (GW), and 71% (AMF+GW). In addition, tolerance of the turf to salinity stress was significantly enhanced by all three treatments. When turf was irrigated in cycles with 0.10, 0.15, or 0.20 M NaCl and deionised water, the cumulative clipping biomass was 21-83% greater in the AMF-inoculated turves than the USGA treatment, 20-52% more with GW, and 52-118% greater when both AMF and GW were included in the growing mix (depending upon the salinity treatment). In the 0.1 OM NaCl treatment, turf with both AMF and GW grew 11% better than the USGA turfirrigated with water. Root biomass was significantly increased by addition of AMF or GW, butroot length mostly was not affected by the treatments. Leaf-tissue P was 10-30% greater in turfin the presence of AMF, but was not significantly enhanced by GW alone. The results suggestthat addition of AMF and GW at the time of new green's construction would result in more rapidestablishment and the ability to tolerate periodic use of salinised irrigation water.