Aluminum toxicity and tolerance mechanism in cereals and legumes - A review

Abstract

Aluminum (Al), the third most abundant element overall, after silicon and oxygen, is found virtually in all food, air, soil and water. Under acidic conditions, Al is solubilized into [Al(H2O)6]3+, which is highly toxic to many plant species. Present paper reviewed Al toxicity and tolerance mechanism in agricultural plants with special reference to cereals and legumes. Even at micromolar concentrations, cell division in the root tip meristem in sensitive plants is quickly inhibited by Al3+. Expressing the species-dependent manner of response, growth enhancement at low concentrations of Al3+ is also reported from some plants such as soybean. Plasma membrane can be identified as the primary target of Al toxicity, where production of higher reactive oxygen species and higher fatty acid peroxidation has been observed due to alteration of plasma membrane integrity. Though, toxicity and the mechanisms attributed to Al-resistance are extremely complex phenomena, exclusion is widely accepted as the key mechanism involved in detoxifying Al3+. Exudation of chelating ligands, formation of pH barrier at the rhizosphere or at root apoplasm, cell wall immobilization, selective permeability of the plasma membrane, and Al efflux have been proposed as the possible mechanisms for Al exclusion. Al-induced exudation in cereals and legumes is dominated by citrate, malate, and oxalate in varying degrees depending on the species and/or cultivar. Apart from sensitive cultivars, moderately tolerant or tolerant cultivars can also be distinguished from various kinds of cereals and legumes. However, reliable techniques for screening such resistant genotypes have not been developed for any economically important crops. © 2013 The Korean Society for Applied Biological Chemistry.