Bermudagrass Establishment with Extracted Humic/Fulvic Acid and Calcium Lignosulfonate.

Field and greenhouse studies were conducted during the summer of 2009-2010 at Texas Tech University to quantify the efficacy of fertilizer, extracted humic/fulvic acid, and calcium lignosulfonate to enhance bermudagrass establishment. Plugs (2.5 cm²) of ‘Tifway 419’ hybrid bermudagrass were transplanted into bare ground June 3, 2009. Plots were arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Monthly treatment applications consisted of (16 N - 4 P₂O₅ - 8 K₂O) at 73 kg N/ha, (16 N - 4 P₂O₅ - 8 K₂O) at 73 kg N/ha + humic/fulvic acid (hf) at 3.4 kg/ha or 1.7 kg/ha, (16 N - 4 P₂O₅ - 8 K₂O) at 73 kg N/ha + calcium lignosulfonate (cl) at 3.4 kg/ha or 1.7 kg/ha, or (16 N - 4 P₂O₅ - 8 K₂O) at 73 kg N/ha + hf at 1.7 kg/ha or 0.9 kg/ha + cl at 1.7 kg/ha or 0.9 kg/ha starting at time of planting and ending 8/4/2009. Two cores (10.2 cm diameter) were removed from plots on 10/6/2009 and analyzed for shoot and root mass. Hf treatments exhibited 17.7 g of shoot tissue followed by (fb) hf + cl (15.4 g), cl (11.6 g), and fertilizer (11.5 g). Fertilizer and cl treatments exhibited the lowest root biomass (0.97 and 0.98 g, respectively), while hf and hf + cl exhibited a 2-fold increase in root mass (2.2 and 1.9 g, respectively). Twenty common bermudagrass seeds were planted in pots in the greenhouse on 3/17/2010 and received the same treatments previously described. Pots were harvested on 5/17/2010 and analyzed for shoot and root mass. Hf, cl, and hf + cl treatments exhibited shoot mass of 3.2 to 3.8 g and root mass of 3.4 to 3.6 g, while fertilizer treatments exhibited shoot mass of 2.2 g and root mass of 2.3 g.