title: Back to Acid Soil Fields: The Citrate Transporter SbMATE Is a Major Asset for Sustainable Grain Yield for Sorghum Cultivated on Acid Soils.
abstract: Aluminum (Al) toxicity damages plant roots and limits crop production on acid soils, which comprise up to 50% of the world's arable lands. A major Al tolerance locus on chromosome 3, AltSB, controls aluminum tolerance in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] via SbMATE, an Al-activated plasma membrane transporter that mediates Al exclusion from sensitive regions in the root apex. As is the case with other known Al tolerance genes, SbMATE was cloned based on studies conducted under controlled environmental conditions, in nutrient solution. Therefore, its impact on grain yield on acid soils remains undetermined. To determine the real world impact of SbMATE, multi-trait quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping in hydroponics, and, in the field, revealed a large-effect QTL colocalized with the Al tolerance locus AltSB, where SbMATE lies, conferring a 0.6 ton ha(-1) grain yield increase on acid soils. A second QTL for Al tolerance in hydroponics, where the positive allele was also donated by the Al tolerant parent, SC283, was found on chromosome 9, indicating the presence of distinct Al tolerance genes in the sorghum genome, or genes acting in the SbMATE pathway leading to Al-activated citrate release. There was no yield penalty for AltSB, consistent with the highly localized Al regulated SbMATE expression in the root tip, and Al-dependent transport activity. A female effect of 0.5 ton ha(-1) independently demonstrated the effectiveness of AltSB in hybrids. Al tolerance conferred by AltSB is thus an indispensable asset for sorghum production and food security on acid soils, many of which are located in developing countries.
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Maize and Sorghum, Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, 35701-970 Brazil.
authors.forename: Geraldo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Maize and Sorghum, Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, 35701-970 Brazil.
authors.forename: Robert Eugene
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Schaffert
authors.affiliation: Biometris, Wageningen University and Research Center, Wageningen, 6700AC The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marcos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malosetti
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Maize and Sorghum, Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, 35701-970 Brazil.
authors.forename: Joao Herbert Moreira
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Viana
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Maize and Sorghum, Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, 35701-970 Brazil.
authors.forename: Cicero Bezerra
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Menezes
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Maize and Sorghum, Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, 35701-970 Brazil.
authors.forename: Lidianne Assis
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Maize and Sorghum, Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, 35701-970 Brazil.
authors.forename: Claudia Teixeira
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Guimaraes
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Maize and Sorghum, Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, 35701-970 Brazil.
authors.forename: Antonio Marcos
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Coelho
authors.affiliation: Robert W. Holley Center of Agriculture and Health, USDA-ARS, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853.
authors.forename: Leon V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Kochian
authors.affiliation: Biometris, Wageningen University and Research Center, Wageningen, 6700AC The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Fred A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: van Eeuwijk
authors.affiliation: Embrapa Maize and Sorghum, Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, 35701-970 Brazil jurandir.magalhaes@embrapa.br.
authors.forename: Jurandir Vieira
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Magalhaes
mesh_terms: D000535:Aluminum / Q000737:chemistry; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002523:Edible Grain / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D005819:Genetic Markers; D007178:Inbreeding; D010641:Phenotype; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D055049:Salt Tolerance / Q000235:genetics; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D045868:Sorghum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D005819:Genetic Markers; D012987:Soil; C020723:citrate-binding transport protein; D000535:Aluminum
keywords: Al tolerance; AltSB; QTL mapping; Sorghum bicolor; field trials