IntroductionPotassium and phosphorus are essential macronutrients for plant growth and development. However, most P and K exist in insoluble forms, which are difficult for plants to directly absorb and utilize, thereby resulting in growth retardation of plants under P or K deficiency stress. TheAspergillus aculeatusfungus has growth-promoting characteristics and the ability to dissolve P and K.MethodsHere, to investigate the physiological effects ofA. aculeatuson bermudagrass under P or K deficiency,A. aculeatusand bermudagrass were used as experimental materials.Results and discussionThe results showed thatA. aculeatuscould promote tolerance to P or K deficiency stress in bermudagrass, decrease the rate of leaf death, and increase the contents of crude fat as well as crude protein. In addition,A. aculeatussignificantly enhanced the chlorophyll a+b and carotenoid contents. Moreover, under P or K deficiency stress, bermudagrass inoculated withA. aculeatusshowed higher N, P, and K contents than non-inoculated plants. Furthermore, exogenousA. aculeatusmarkedly decreased the H2O2level and CAT and POD activities. Based on our results,A. aculeatuscould effectively improve the forage quality of bermudagrass and alleviate the negative effects of P or K deficiency stress, thereby playing a positive economic role in the forage industry.