Author
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Kochian, Leon |
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Submitted to: Improving Phosphorous Acquisition Efficiency in Marginal Soils Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 3/7/2000 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Two of the major factors limiting crop production on acid soils are aluminum (Al) toxicity and phosphorus (P) deficiency. Over the past 10 years, considerable research has focused on the basic biology of aluminum toxicity and tolerance. The attention on fundamental mechanisms of aluminum tolerance has resulted in some significant progress in the identification of the underlying processes certain crop plant genotypes employ to tolerate toxic levels of Al3+ in acid soils. Possibly because of progress in research on Al tolerance, some acid soil researchers are starting to expand their research focus to include elucidation of the fundamental mechanisms and genes controlling P efficiency, which is the ability of certain crop genotypes to function well under low P conditions. Because crop plants growing on acid soils must usually deal with the dual stresses of excess Al and not enough P, it has been speculated that the Al tolerance and P efficiency traits may somehow be linked. In this paper, I will review the insights our research group and other researchers have gained in understanding of Al tolerance mechanisms in cereal crops, and come to the conclusion that the mechanisms plants employ to tolerate Al in the soil are separate and distinct from those that facilitate P efficiency. |
