Aluminum-Specific Upregulation of GmALS3 in the Shoots of Soybeans: A Potential Biomarker for Managing Soybean Production in Acidic Soil Regions

Raj Kishan Agrahari,Yuriko Kobayashi,Sanjib Kumar Panda,Pankaj Borgohain,Hiroyuki Koyama

doi:10.3390/agronomy10091228

Raj Kishan Agrahari, Yuriko Kobayashi + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10091228

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Abstract

Aluminum (Al) toxicity in acidic soils is a global agricultural problem that limits crop productivity through the inhibition of root growth. However, poor management associated with the application of soil acidity amendments such as lime (CaCO3) in certain crop types can pose a threat to low-input farming practices. Accordingly, it is important to develop appropriate techniques for the management of crop production in acidic soils. In this study, we identified ALS3 (ALUMINUM SENSITIVE 3) in soybeans (Glycine max, cultivar Toyomasari), which is highly expressed in the shoot under Al stress. GmALS3 (Glyma.10G047100) expression was found to be Al-specific under various stress conditions. We analyzed GmALS3 expression in the shoots of soybean plants grown in two different types of acidic soils (artificial and natural acidic soil) with different levels of liming and found that GmALS3 expression was suppressed with levels of liming that have been shown to eliminate soil Al3+ toxicity. Using soybeans as a model, we identified a potential biomarker that could indicate Al toxicity and appropriate liming levels for soybeans cultivated in acidic soils.

Highlights

Inadequate fertilizer management is a risk for agricultural ecosystems
The expression level of GmALS3 was comparable in the low and no CaCO3 treatments, but it was decreased when high levels of CaCO3 were applied to both acidic soils (Figure 3E,F). These results suggest that suppression of Al toxicity by CaCO3 for soybeans grown in acidic soils can be evaluated by GmALS3 expression in the shoots
We identified genes having the highest homology with GmALS3 (≥75% sequence identity) in various legumes (Figure 4) and quantified the expression of these genes in the shoots of plants grown in acidic soils amended with levels of lime sufficient to neutralize soil acidity

Summary

Introduction

Inadequate fertilizer management is a risk for agricultural ecosystems. Overuse of fertilizers can result in soil-related problems such as salinity, excess and imbalance of nutrients, etc [1]. Adequate management of fertilizers can alleviate the stresses found in several soil types. Acidic soils (pH < 5.5) contain various stress factors, including aluminum (Al) and proton (H+ ) rhizotoxicities and phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) deficiencies [2,3,4,5,6,7] Most of these stress factors could be alleviated by the application of fertilizers, which can be expensive. This method would be challenging for several farmers in developing countries/regions dominated by acidic soils

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