Rapid evaluation of juvenile sorghum for tolerance to soil acidity

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Abstract
Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is a versatile drought‐tolerant crop; part of its potential for expansion in the subtropics of the US and the tropics is unrealized because of its sensitivity to soil acidity. Improved methods for rapid evaluation of acid soil tolerance may help breeding programs to overcome this limitation. Four‐day root growth of seedlings of six genotypes in rapid tests in acid soil media was significantly correlated (R2 = 0.82) with acid soil tolerance evaluated in a field experiment on a high‐Al Ultisol in Corozal, Puerto Rico. This indicates that the ability of the roots of tolerant genotypes to penetrate into acid environments was a key aspect of their success in the field. A solution culture test showed that aluminum (Al) was the principal acidity factor in the acid soil at Corozal. Rapid seedling root growth tests can non‐destructively identify plants having genetic potential to withstand Al toxicity in the field and increase the efficiency of breeding programs.