Genetics of tolerance to aluminium in wheat (Triticum aestivum L. Thell)

Abstract

Preliminary studies indicated that aluminium-tolerance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L. Thell.) is a dominant character controlled by several genes. The present paper describes further work on localization and characterization of some of these genes in the genome of the medium Al tolerant wheat cultivar Chinese Spring (C.S.), using an aneuploid series (ditelosomics). Aluminium-tolerance of seedlings was assessed using the modified ‘pulse’ method; the aluminium concentration in the nutrient solution causing irreversible damage to the root apical meristems on exposure for 24 h at 25°C was the measure of Al-tolerance. At least three different factors controlling Al-tolerance in the C.S. cultivar were located on chromosomes 5As, 2Dl and 4Dl. Significant differences were found in Al-uptake and accumulation in roots of the respective ditelosomic lines and euploid seedlings of C.S. Genes controlling Al-tolerance located in the D genome (2Dl and 4Dl) were not expressed in solution culture when genes located on 5As were missing, whereas some tolerance was observed in aneuploid lines in which genes from 5As were present while genes from 2Dl and 4Dl were missing. It is concluded that Al-tolerance genes located in A genome control the expression of other Al-tolerance genes located in the D genome. The implications of the obtained results for chromosome and gene manipulations in cereals are discussed.