The screening of plants for aluminum tolerance is an alternative to soils with toxic levels of this element. Twenty five coffee genotypes were evaluated for aluminum tolerance in relation to inhibition of shoot and root growth and by the hematoxylin staining test. The aluminum accumulation in root tissues was also evaluated. After 35 and 75 days of plant growth in nutrient solution with and without aluminum, the length of the main root was evaluated. After 80 days of exposure to Al, the dry biomass of shoot and roots was also evaluated. The inhibition percentage promoted by aluminum was analyzed by the multivariate technique and the genotypes were classified as tolerant, intermediate and susceptible. The hematoxylin staining test was conducted after 80 days of plant development in nutrient solution and the genotypes were evaluated by the intensity of root tip staining. The results indicated that only three genotypes were classified as Al tolerant, and six were susceptible, while most of the genotypes were in the intermediate class. The hematoxylin staining test was not suitable for assessment of Al tolerance. The Al accumulation in the most tolerant genotype was only observed in the epidermal cells, while in the genotypes classified as intermediate, there was Al accumulation in the epidermal cells and in several layers of the cortex cells.
Coffea arabica L.; C. canephora Pierre; Coffea arabica L.; C. canephora Pierre; screening technique; stress; acid soils