Twenty one wheat cultivars were studied in aerated nutrient solutions for aluminum tolerance with six different levels, 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 mg/litro of Al3+, under constant temperature, 25° ± 1°C and pH 4.0. Aluminum tolerance was evaluated by measuring the root growth in an aluminum-free complete nutrient solution after a treatment of 48 hours in an aluminum solution. The cultivars BH-1146, IAC-18, IAC-28, IAC-5, IAC-74, IAC-13, PAT-72247, IAC-22, BR-2, IAC-21 and IAC-24 were considered as tolerant because they exhibited growth of the central primary root after a treatment in solutions with 10 mg/l of Al3+. However cultivars IAC-17, IAC-161, Mitacoré and CEP-7780 showed moderate tolerance to Al3+ because they showed growth of the central primary root after a treatment in solutions containing 6 mg/l of Al3+. Moreover the cultivars CNT-8, Alondra-S-46, IAC-162, Paraguay-281 and IAC-23 were considered as sensitive to Al3+ because they did not present root growth after a treatment in solutions with 6 mg/l of Al3+. The cultivar Anahuac did not show any root growth after a treatment in solutions containing 2 mg/l of Al3+ therefore being considered the most Al sensitive among the studied cultivars.
wheat; tolerant and sensitive cultivars; root growth; nutrient solutions; aluminum toxicity