Effects of aluminum toxicity on maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings

Aluminum toxicity is one of the most deleterious factors for plant growth in acidic soils because over 50% of the world’s potentially arable lands are acidic. In recent years, considerable research has been conducted to understand the mechanisms of Al toxicity and tolerance in plants. This paper reviews the effects of different concentration of Al on plant shoot, root physiological parameters such as length, fresh and dry weight, pigment content and antioxidant enzyme such as Catalase Ascorbate and Guaiacol peroxidase, malonyldialdehyde content. Maize (Zea mays L.) seeds were sterilized and these seeds were then germinated in Petri dish. The germinated seeds were allowed to grow at 27°C in darkness, and 5 ml of test solution was added to each Petri dish on the second day. The test solution contained 0, 25, 50, 75, 100mM AlCl3. Aluminum toxicity caused reduction in growth in all treatments. The plants exposed to Al exhibited a substantial decline in growth, pigment content, activities of guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and leaf structure. Data show that 50 mM Al caused increased in MDA content.