A Comparison of the Effects of Phycocyanin, γ-Aminobutyric Acid, Glycine Betaine, and Mycorrhizal Biostimulants of Non-Stressed Agrostis stolonifera

TL;DR

This study compares how different biostimulants affect the growth and quality of creeping bentgrass under non-stressed conditions.

Contribution

The study identifies specific biostimulants that enhance different aspects of plant growth in various creeping bentgrass cultivars.

Findings

Phycocyanin most effectively increased shoot greenness in certain cultivars.

GABA most effectively increased root fresh and dry weight in specific cultivars.

GB most effectively increased shoot fresh and dry weight in certain cultivars.

Abstract

Four biostimulants (phycocyanin, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine betaine (GB), and the mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus intraradices) were applied foliarly to six cultivars of mature creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) under non-stressed greenhouse conditions. Phycocyanin was most effective at increasing total shoot greenness, which was most consistent over time with the cultivars Penncross, T1, and Tyee. GABA was most effective at increasing total root fresh and dry weight, most strongly for Penncross and T1, respectively. GB was most effective at increasing total shoot fresh and dry weight, with both most strongly increased for Tyee. By comparison, R. intraradices had relatively low effectiveness for increasing any of these parameters. The appearance of the grass at the end of the experiment revealed that 007 and Focus generally showed the most and least growth benefit, respectively, with all four biostimulants. However, all cultivars showed increases in more than one parameter for each biostimulant, and thus, no cultivar was uniformly responsive or non-responsive to all the biostimulants. This research shows that phycocyanin, GABA, and GB may benefit multiple creeping bentgrass cultivars under non-stressed conditions, but each one tended to be more beneficial to a particular aspect of plant growth and quality. End users need to be aware of the importance of creeping bentgrass genotype when considering biostimulant application.

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