Interaction of boron and aluminum on the physiological characteristics of rape (Brassica napus L.) seedlings

It has been reported that aluminum (Al) toxicity is a major limiting factor for plant growth and production on acidic soils. Boron (B) is indispensable micronutrient for normal growth of higher plants, and its addition could alleviate Al toxicity. The rape seedlings were grown under three B (0.25, 25 and 500 μM) and two Al concentrations [0 (−Al) and 100 μM (+Al) as AlCl3·6H2O]. The results indicated that Al stress severely hampered root elongation and root activity at 0.25 μM B while the normal (25 μM) and excess (500 μM) B improved the biomass of rape seedlings under Al exposure. Additionally, normal and excess B treatment reduced accumulation of Al in the roots and leaves under Al toxicity, which was also confirmed by hematoxylin with light staining. This indicates that both normal and excess B could alleviate Al toxicity. Furthermore, it also decreased the contents of malondialdehyde and soluble protein under Al toxicity. Likewise, superoxide dismutase activity (SOD) improved by 97.82 and 131.96% in the roots, and 168 and 119.88% in the leaves at 25 and 500 µM B, respectively, while the peroxidase and catalase activities dropped as a result of Al stress. The study results demonstrated that appropriate B application is necessary to avoid the harmful consequences of Al toxicity in rape seedlings.