Abstract
The effect of the aluminum in root has been evaluated by linear and weight measurements, but remains to be understood about the influence of this element on branching configuration of the root system. This study had the objective to assess the aluminum toxicity in roots of 21-day-old seedlings of three forage legumes, Adesmia latifolia, Trifolium repens and T. pratense (Fabaceae), by topological analysis. The legumes were grown in Oxisol treated or not with dolomite lime, which resulted in two Al saturation and pH: (a) Al= 0 %, pH= 6.2; (b) Al= 16 %, pH= 4.8. Number of first-order roots, external links (magnitude), total links in the longest unique path (altitude), total links in the primary root (altitude of primary root), total exterior path length, total links, internal links, branching points, and proportion of branching in primary root were determined. The topological variables were significantly reduced by Al, regardless to the legumes. The altitude-slope on magnitude showed that there was a more randomized branching configuration in seedlings grown in acid soil. A. latifolia was the most plastic species, with reducing of the slopes from 0.9758 (Al-absence) to 0.6858 (Al-presence), showing herringbone and randomized branching, respectively.
Highlights
The aluminum (Al) tolerance of plants is commonly evaluated during the seedling stage, which might be more critical than their later stages of growth (MERIÑO-GERGICHEVICH et al, 2010; VOIGT; MOSJIDIS, 2002)
Al toxicity is associated with severe changes in root morphology
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of Al on the root topology of these forage legumes to answer the following questions: (1) Does Al affect the topological variables of seedling roots?; (2) Does Al change the topological configuration of the root system?; (3) Do the species vary in their responses to Al?
Summary
The aluminum (Al) tolerance of plants is commonly evaluated during the seedling stage, which might be more critical than their later stages of growth (MERIÑO-GERGICHEVICH et al, 2010; VOIGT; MOSJIDIS, 2002). Al toxicity is associated with severe changes in root morphology. It results in curved, swollen, cracked, brownish, stubby and stiff root apices (VARDAR et al, 2006). To the best of our knowledge, there has been no published studies on root topology in response to Al toxicity, and knowledge of root morphology and architecture would be very useful both for efforts to breed plants for nutrient efficiency (CRUSH et al, 2005) and for ecological studies on the adaptation of species to acid soils
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