Malate and cell wall aluminum immobilization act as resistance mechanisms in soybean roots

ABSTRACT Toxic levels of aluminum (Al) in the soil can reduce the growth of different grain crops. To understand the effects of Al in soybean (Glycine max L.) seedlings Al accumulation and its effect on anatomy, morphology, and metabolism in roots of two soybean genotypes were evaluated: Suprema and A7002. For this, soybean plants were grown in nutrient Clark solution, pH 4.0, without Al (control) and with 100 µM of Al for 72 hours. Both genotypes accumulated Al in the roots, however, Suprema showed a higher Al accumulation than A7002. The latter genotype showed Al accumulated only in the cell walls of the epidermis and root cap, which did not affect root growth. On the other hand, in Suprema, Al accumulated in the cells of the root cap, epidermis, and the nucleus of the ground meristem cells, which resulted in inhibited root growth and structural damage in the root epidermis cells. Al modulated the primary metabolism with increases in the levels of glucose, fructose, sucrose, and malate in the roots of the genotype A7002 and reduced the starch levels in the Suprema genotype. The findings of this study suggest the A7002 genotype seems to be more resistant to Al than Suprema, mainly by the use of two important mechanisms: an increase in malate content and Al immobilization in the external cells of the root.