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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Plant Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #108502
Title: ALUMINUM TOLERANCE IN TRITICALE, WHEAT, AND RYE

Author
item KIM, B - TAEGU UNIVERSITY - KOREA
item BAIER, A - CNPT-EMBRAPA - BRAZIL
item SOMERS, D - SASKATOON RESEARCH CENTRE
item Gustafson, J

Submitted to: Euphytica
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/10/2000
Publication Date: 1/2/2001
Citation: Kim, B.Y., Baier, A.C., Somers, D.J., Gustafson, J.P. 2001. Aluminum tolerance in triticale, wheat, and rye. Euphytica. V.120(3):329-337.

Interpretive Summary: Acid soils containing high levels of aluminum are known to severely limit plant growth on approximately 45 percent of all arable land worldwide. In the United States, a gradual decline in the pH of many soils both in the Great Plains as well as the Southeast has resulted in approximately 135 million acres of acid soils containing high levels of aluminum being present. The present study was initiated to ascertain the tolerance level of modern spring cereals being grown in the most acid soils of the world in Southern Brazil. Screening spring cereals both in hydroponic solutions high in aluminum and in soils in Southern Brazil showed that no progress has been made in the last 50 years in increasing wheat cultivar tolerance to aluminum. Therefore, if we need wheat cultivars with increased aluminum tolerance, we will have to go to other cereals, such as rye, to obtain genes for increased aluminum tolerance that can then be manipulated into a wheat background. The impact of this research is that small grain breeder geneticists have shown there are probably no more genes available for increasing wheat's tolerance to aluminum and, if needed, we will have to search related species for increased tolerance to aluminum.

Technical Abstract: Acid soils containing high levels of aluminum (Al) are known to severely limit plant growth on over 1.6 billion hectares worldwide. In the United States, a gradual decline in the pH of many soils has caused about 135 million acres to become high in levels of free Al. This worldwide condition encouraged us to conduct an analysis of wheat, triticale, and rye egermplasm from the major acid-soil region of the world (Brazil) in order t evaluate the genetic potential of Al genes for cereal improvement. The objectives were to compare Al tolerance levels in wheats, triticales, and ryes by measuring root elongation responses in Al-containing hydroponic solutions. Root elongation was impaired for all species grown in high concentrations of Al. Rye was the most tolerant and Al-sensitive wheats were the least tolerant. The triticales containing a 2D(2R) substitution had the poorest root regrowth of all triticale types. Newly developed triticale lines (AABBRR), yet to be released for commercial production, showed the highest degree of Al tolerance of all the triticales and approached or exceeded the levels observed in rye. This indicated that in addition to yield improvement, progress is being made in improving triticale's tolerance to Al in Brazil. Of all the Brazilian wheat varieties evaluated for Al tolerance, none were better than 'BH 1146', a 50-year old variety. This indicated that over the past 50 years Brazilian wheat breeders have made major yield improvements in wheat, but little or no progress in improving Al tolerance. Rye also showed a high degree of Al tolerance, but some variation was noted. The implications of these results in relation to wheat and triticale breeding and the expression of rye in a wheat background are discussed.