The effect of different microbial fertilizer doses on drought tolerance of turf mixture

Drought is the most important abiotic stress factor that directly affects the quality and sustainability of turf areas. In this study; in a grass mixture [60% reed fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), 20% perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and 20% rhizomatous red fescue (Festuca rubra L. subsp. rubra)] used in turfgrass field facilities; different doses of microbial fertilizer applications (MG1-0,0 cc m-2, MG2-1,0 cc m-2, MG3-1,5 cc m-2, MG4-2,0 cc m-2 and MG5-2,5 cc m-2) on the drought tolerance of the grass mixture (K1-100% irrigation/PC/control, K2-75% irrigation/PC, K3-50% irrigation/PC, and K4-25% irrigation/PC). The research was carried out in greenhouse conditions, in plastic pots with a capacity of 11 liters, with three replications according to the randomized split-plot experimental design, with different drought doses constituting the main plots and different microbial fertilizer doses constituting the sub-plots. The research findings indicated that drought stress had negative effects on all of the investigated characteristics, with rates varying between 9% and 71%. Nevertheless, it has been created that the application of microbial fertilizers resulted in a range of improvements in various aspects of vegetation growth and quality. These improvements include an increase in vegetation height ranging from 2% to 38%, an increase in plant green weight ranging from 26% to 52%, an improvement in turf quality ranging from 7% to 29%, an enhancement in turf color ranging from 7% to 30%, an increase in plant-covered area ranging from 2% to 3%, an improvement in turf density ranging from 6% to 14%, and an increase in relative chlorophyll content index (RCCI) ranging from 9% to 50%. These improvements were observed when comparing the treated plants against the control plants under conditions of drought stress. Consequently, it was established that the application of microbial fertilizer exhibited varied degrees of tolerance to the detrimental impacts of drought stress. Particularly, the quantities of MGD4 and MGD5 yielded more favorable results in comparison to other treatments.