Breeding for Tolerance to Toxic Levels of Aluminum in Alfalfa

An estimated 40% of all arable soils are acidic, and aluminum (Al) toxicity is often the primary plant-growth-limiting factor in these soils. Bxcess exchangeable Al is especially harmful in subsoils because it reduces rooting depth and branching and predisposes plants,to injury by drought. Our research to date indicates that there is substantial genetic variation in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in response to toxic levels of Al, but that phenotypic recurrent selection appears to have been only marginally effective in selecting for Al tolerance. Possible alternative breeding approaches would entail re-evaluating selections to help obviate the effects of genotype x environment interaction, exploiting non-additive genetic variation, in vitro selection of tolerant cells, selecting plants that produced enhanced levels of Al-binding proteins and/or organic acids,