Summary
In order to determine the effects of concentration on plant growth, aluminium (Al) was extracted (10−3 M CaCl2) from 4 acid brown hill soils which had been treated with superphosphate at rates equivalent to 0 to 300 kg P ha−1. The soils ranged in pH (CaCl2) from 3.5 to 4.9, and Al concentration from 0 to 0.6 mM. The effects of Al on ryegrass growth in the 4 soils in a glasshouse was compared with its effect on radicle elongation of seeds germinated in contact with CaCl2 extracts from the same soils.
Ryegrass root growth in the glasshouse, and radicle elongation in the bioassay test were both unaffected by Al concentrations below 0.1 mM. Root growth was substantially reduced when Al concentration exceeded 0.1 mM and above 0.2 mM growth was almost completely inhibited. Radicle elongation rate was also reduced when the concentration of Al was greater than 0.2 mM agreeing well with the observation from the pot experiment.
It is concluded that because of its speed and convenience the bioassay method offers a useful method of establishing critical levels of Al for crop plants.
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Sheppard, L.J., Floate, M.J.S. The effects of soluble-Al on root growth and radicle elongation. Plant Soil 80, 301–306 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02161187
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02161187