Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Root phosphate exudation and pH shift in the rhizosphere are not responsible for aluminum resistance in rice

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Acta Physiologiae Plantarum Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A series of hydroponic experiments and an agar culture experiment were carried out to investigate aluminum (Al) accumulation and translocation in two rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars (Kasalath and Koshihikari) that differ in Al resistance. Al-resistance mechanisms, including Pi exudation under Al stress and pH shifts in the rhizosphere, were also studied. Al content in rice shoots was 41 mg kg−1 on average and did not differ between the two cultivars, which demonstrated that the rice cultivars were not Al accumulators. The majority of Al (95–97%) accumulated in roots. Al content in roots in the resistant cultivar (Koshihikari) was lower than that in the sensitive cultivar (Kasalath), which indicated that Al-exclusion mechanisms were mainly acting in rice. However, the rate of Pi exudation from the whole root or root tips was very low in both cultivars and was not significantly influenced by Al exposure, and thus seemed not to be the main Al-resistance mechanism. On the other hand, experiments with pH-buffered solution and color changes following culture in agar medium containing bromocresol purple revealed that the Al-induced pH increase could not explain the high Al resistance of rice. In addition, the Al content in shoots of Koshihikari was lower after the formation of iron plaque on the root surface, whereas that of Kasalath was not lower. These results suggested that rice roots cell wall components or root surfaces such as iron plaque, rather than pH changes and/or root exudates including organic acids and phosphate, play important roles in Al resistance in rice.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

Al:

Aluminum

ICP-AES:

Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer

Pi:

Phosphate

References

  • Chen RF, Shen RF, Gu P, Dong XY, Du CW, Ma JF (2006) Response of rice (Oryza sativa) with root surface iron plaque under aluminium stress. Ann Bot 98:389–395

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Degenhardt J, Larsen PB, Howell SH, Kochian LV (1998) Aluminum resistance in the Arabidopsis mutant alr-104 is caused by an aluminum increase in rhizosphere pH. Plant Physiol 117:19–27

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fageria NK, Carvalho JRP (1982) Influence of aluminum in nutrient solutions on chemical composition in upland rice cultivars. Plant Soil 69:31–44

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Foy CD (1988) Plant adaption to acid, aiuminum-toxic soils. Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal 19:959–987

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Foy CD, Burns GR, Brown JC, Fleming AL (1965) Differential aluminum tolerance of two wheat varieties associated with plant-induced pH changes around their roots. Soil Sci Soc Am Pro 29:64–67

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Foy CD, Fleming AL, Burns GR, Arninger WH (1967) Characterization of differential aluminum tolerance among varieties of wheat and barley. Soil Sci Soc Am Pro 31:513–521

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ganesan K, Sankaranarayanan C, Balakumar T (1993) Physiological basis of differential aluminum tolerance in rice genotypes. Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal 24:2179–2191

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hara T, Gu MH, Koyama H (1999) Ameliorative effect of silicon on aluminum injury in the rice plant. Soil Sci Plant Nutr 45:929–936

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Horst WJ (1995) The role of the apoplast in aluminum toxicity and resistance of higher plants: a review. Z Pflanzenernäehr Bodenkd 158:419–428

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Horst WJ, Schmohl N, Kollmeier M, Baluška F, Sivaguru M (1999) Does aluminium affect root growth of maize through interaction with the cell wall-plasma membrane-cytoskeleton continuum? Plant Soil 215:163–174

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) (1978) Aluminum toxicity. IRRI annual report for 1977. Los Bavos, Philippines

    Google Scholar 

  • Jan F, Pettersson S (1989) Varietal diversity of upland rice in sensitivity to aluminum. J Plant Nutr 12:973–993

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kochian LV, Hoekenga OA, Pineros MA (2004) How do crop plants tolerate acid soils? Mechanisms of aluminium tolerance and phosphorous efficiency. Annu Rev Plant Biol 55:459–493

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ma JF (2000) Role of organic acids in detoxification of aluminum in higher plants. Plant Cell Physiol 41:383–390

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ma JF, Furukawa J (2003) Recent progress in the research of external Al detoxification in higher plants: a minireview. J Inorg Biochem 97:46–51

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ma JF, Hiradate S, Nomoto K, Iwashita T, Matsumoto H (1997) Internal detoxification mechanism of Al in hydrangea. Identification of Al form in the leaves. Plant Physiol 113:1033–1039

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ma JF, Shen RF, Zhao ZQ, Wissuma M, Takeuchi Y, Ebitani T, Yano M (2002) Response of rice to Al stress and identification of quantitative trait loci for Al tolerance. Plant Cell Physiol 43:652–659

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mugwira LM, Patel SU (1977) Root zone pH changes and ion uptake imblanlances by triticale, wheat, and rye. Agron J 69:719–722

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pellet DM, Grunes DL, Kochian LV (1995) Organic acid exudation as an aluminum tolerance mechanism in maize (Zea mays L.). Planta 196:788–795

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pellet DM, Papernik LA, Kochian LV (1996) Multiple aluminum-resistance mechanisms in wheat: roles of root apical phosphate and malate exudation. Plant Physiol 112:591–597

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan PR, Joseph MD, Kochian LV (1993) Aluminum toxicity in roots: an investigation of spatial sensitivity and the role of the root cap. J Exp Bot 44:437–446

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shen RF, Ma JF (2001) Distribution and mobility of aluminium in an Al-accumulating plant, Fagopyrum esculentum Moench. J Exp Bot 52:1683–1687

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shen RF, Iwashita T, Ma JF (2004) Form of Al changes with Al concentration in leaves of buckwheat. J Exp Bot 55:131–136

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor GJ (1991) Current views of the aluminum stress response: the physiological basis of tolerance. Curr Top Plant Biochem Physiol 10:57–93

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vasconcelos SS, Jacob-Neto J, Rossiello ROP (2002) Differential root responses to Aluminum stress among Brazilian rice genotypes. J Plant Nutr 25:655–669

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao QG (2002) The space–time variability of soil degradation in red soil area in East China, the mechanisms and regulation methods, Science Publisher, Beijing, pp 70–80 (in Chinese)

  • Zheng SJ, Yang JL, He YF, Yu XH, Zhang L, You JF, Shen RF, Matsumoto H (2005) Immobilization of aluminum with phosphorus in roots is associated with high aluminum resistance in buckwheat. Plant Physiol 138:297–303

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou JH, Pan WH, Xu AB, Zhu MY (1997) Aluminum tolerance of different barley cultivars in a constant system of pH. J Hangzhou Univ (Nat Sci) 24:85–90 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported financially by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (40371072, 40621001) and the CAS Innovation Program (ISSASIP0708).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 210008, Nanjing, China

    Rong Fu Chen & Ren Fang Shen

Authors
  1. Rong Fu Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ren Fang Shen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ren Fang Shen.

Additional information

Communicated by G. Klobus.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chen, R.F., Shen, R.F. Root phosphate exudation and pH shift in the rhizosphere are not responsible for aluminum resistance in rice. Acta Physiol Plant 30, 817–824 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-008-0186-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-008-0186-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation