Aluminium toxicity tolerance in crop plants: Present status of research

Abstract

Soil acidity is one of the major constraints to agricultural production in large parts around the world. In acid soils, aluminium toxicity and consequent low phosphorous availability impair plant growth. The primary response to aluminium stress is visible in the roots. Exclusion and neutralization are two well known mechanism of aluminium tolerance in plants. Although, relative root growth in high aluminium containing solution is often used for screening, a reliable screening procedure needs to be developed. 14 genes from seven different species are reported for aluminium tolerance of which genes of the Aluminium-activated malate transporter (ALMT) and multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) families are prominent. In this review, the progress of research in identifying aluminium toxicity tolerant genes is discussed.

Keywords: Aluminium toxicity, soil acidity, hydroponic screening, aluminium-activated malate transporter, multidrug and toxic compound extrusion

African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(24), pp. 3752-3757