Responses of contrasting rice genotypes to excess manganese and their implications for lignin synthesis

Manganese (Mn) toxicity is frequently encountered in crops grown on soils with low pH or low redox potential, and harmful to plant development and growth. This study aimed at exploring adaptive mechanisms to Mn toxicity in rice, and investigated the effects of Mn toxicity on shoot lignification. Sixteen rice genotypes were grown in hydroponic solutions and exposed to normal (0.5 mg dm−3) or toxic (5 mg dm−3) Mn concentrations for three weeks. Morphological responses to Mn toxicity included a significant reduction in shoot length and the formation of visible symptoms scored as leaf damage index (LDI). Based on shoot Mn concentrations in the Mn toxic treatment, genotypes were classified as Mn includers and excluders. Across different genotypes, shoot Mn concentrations were significantly negatively correlated with relative shoot length and positively correlated with LDI. Consequently, the most tolerant genotypes in terms of morphology were all excluders, while the most sensitive genotypes were includers. The sensitive genotypes were also more responsive to manganese in terms of lipid peroxidation than tolerant genotypes. Shoots of rice plants grown in the high Mn treatment showed a higher level of lignification measured as thioglycolic acid lignin (TGAL), especially among Mn includers. TGAL was positively correlated with shoot Mn concentration and the levels of phenolics. In contrast, peroxidase activity was not responsive to the Mn treatment and was not significantly correlated with shoot lignification. In conclusion, exclusion is a dominant tolerance mechanism to Mn toxicity in rice. Further, Mn stimulated lignin biosynthesis in rice, especially in genotypes that were unable to exclude Mn. •Shoot exclusion was the dominant mechanism conferring tolerance to manganese toxicity in rice.•The landrace Pokkali tolerated extremely high levels on Mn in shoot tissue.•Mn toxicity led to higher lignin levels in rice shoot tissue.•Enhanced lignin biosynthesis was highly correlated with the shoot level of manganese.