Selection of grainamaranthusspecies for tolerance to excess aluminum in an acid soil

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Abstract
The high nutritional value of grain amaranth has generated a renewed interest in the crop. Grain amaranth species are often grown under subsistence conditions on acid (Al‐toxic) soils where liming even the surface soil may not be feasible. Identification or development of populations of these species with tolerance to excess Al in acid soils could be of considerable benefit to farmers in lesser developed countries. A modified mass selection program was used to screen four grain amaranth populations [R101 and R103 (A. hypochondriacus), R123 (A. cruentus), and R125 (A. hybridus] for tolerance to Al in pH 4.8 Tatum soil. Results indicated that all four populations were quite intolerant of high levels of Al and that further breeding is necessary before adequate levels of Al tolerance can be reached. The breeding program resulted in a significant increase in tolerance to high Al levels (compared to natural levels) only in R123. Results also indicated that tolerance to high Al levels may be inversely related to at least some desirable agronomic traits in R101 and R103 and directly related to at least some of these traits in R123, whereas Al tolerance and desirable agronomic traits may be inherited independently in R125.

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