Variation of aluminium tolerance in lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.)

With 5 figures and 5 tables Abstract Aluminium (Al) tolerance of 60 genotypes was evaluated using the growth response and haematoxylin staining methods. Major traits used to evaluate Al tolerance were score of root staining, root regrowth after staining, root and shoot length, dry weight of roots and shoots, and pods/plant. Significant variability was noted for tolerance to Al toxicity among the lentil genotypes for all traits except score of root staining. Score of haematoxylin root staining did not show any correlation with growth response method. However, root regrowth after staining showed significant correlation with root and shoot length, dry weight of roots and shoots, and pods/plant. In a further long-term experiment, the Al tolerance of three tolerant (L-7903, L-4602 and ILL-6002) and two sensitive (L-4147 and BARI Massor-4) lines was assessed at the adult stage to evaluate the consistency of Al tolerance. This study also showed that Al tolerance of lentil does not vary with plant growth stage, so selection for increased Al tolerance can be carried out at the seedling growth stage.