Agronomic Practices and Breeding Progress of Forage Bermudagrass Under Abiotic Stress Conditions

Abstract

As a globally important C4 forage grass, bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) is widely used in forage production under challenging environments, including drought, saline, and nutrient-poor soils, due to its high stress tolerance and nutritional value. This article reviews the performance of bermudagrass under stress conditions and summarises its production potential under various management strategies, such as optimised N fertilisation, controlled mowing height, and the use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. Research demonstrates that these strategies can significantly improve water use efficiency and forage quality while maintaining high yield. Additionally, molecular breeding and multi-omics technologies—such as CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, miRNA regulation, transcriptomics, and proteomics—show substantial potential in enhancing the stress tolerance and production quality of bermudagrass. Future research should focus on the development of molecular markers and the genetic improvement of bermudagrass under multiple stress conditions. These advances can be applied to promote its efficient and sustainable use, thereby providing scientific support to address environmental challenges in global agricultural production. However, the regulatory mechanisms of key functional genes under salt and drought stress remain insufficiently characterised, and the synergistic response mechanisms to multiple abiotic stresses have not been fully elucidated.