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Growth and Nutrient Uptake Parameters in Sorghum as Influenced by Aluminum
Author(s) -
Baligar V. C.,
Schaffert R. E.,
Dos Santos H. L.,
Pitta G. V. E.,
De C. Bahia Filho A. F.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1993.00021962008500050021x
Subject(s) - sorghum , shoot , agronomy , nutrient , biology , greenhouse , soil water , cultivar , saturation (graph theory) , sweet sorghum , sorghum bicolor , ecology , mathematics , combinatorics
Abstract Sorghum[ Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is the fifth most important cereal crop in the world. The majority of soils on which sorghum is grown are acidic, and production on such soils is limited by high levels of Al and Mn, and deficient levels of Ca, Mg, and P. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate differences in growth and uptake ( U ), influx (IN), and transport (TR) of nutrients by 40 sorghum genotypes at three levels of soil Al saturation. Growth of shoots and roots and nutrient uptake parameters were affected by soil Al saturation, genotypes, and their interactions. Growth and uptake parameters were used to separate the genotypes into most efficient and least efficient categories at various levels of soil Al saturation. Shoot nutrient U , IN, and TR were positively correlated ( P < 0.01) with shoot and root dry weight, and inversely related ( P < 0.01) to soil Al saturation and shoot Al concentration. Our greenhouse technique appears to be a reliable method for separating genotypes into Al‐tolerant and intolerant types. Genotypes used in the study showed intraspecific genetic diversity in growth and uptake, influx, and transport of essential elements. Therefore, selection of acid‐tolerant genotypes and further breeding of Al‐tolerant cultivars is feasible in sorghum.