ALUMINIUM TOLERANCE IN DOLICHOS BEAN SEEDLING ASSOCIATED WITH UP REGULATION OF PROTEIN SYNTHESIS, STABLE CHLOROPHYLL CONTENT AND REDUCED ALUMINIUM UPTAKE

Soil acidity coupled with aluminium (Al) toxicity is a limiting factor for crop production. Nutrient deficiency is major problem under acidic condition which effects growth and yield, drastically. The present investigation was carried out in pot containing soil to study the mechanism of aluminium tolerance in Dolichos lablab.  Genotypes tolerant to Al (VRSEM-207) and the susceptible to Al (VRSEM-941) were taken. The seedlings were given varying level of aluminium treatments (0, 15, 30 and 45 mg/kg soil) and were uprooted at 28 days. From the present investigation it was revealed that increasing Al treatment significantly reduced biomass, chlorophyll content and protein content in sensitive genotype whereas there was little or no significant effect on the tolerant genotype. The tolerance in the genotype was due to up-regulation of protein synthesis, stable chlorophyll content and reduced aluminium uptake. Therefore chlorophyll stability index, protein content and Al uptake can be used for screening for aluminium tolerance in dolichos bean and other legumes.