Basic understanding of aluminum accumulator plants

High concentration of aluminum (Al) ion solubilized in acid soils restrict plant growth. The mechanisms of plant adaptation to Al stress can be separated into Al exclusion and internal Al inactivation. In general, plant species that have developed mechanisms of the former type are called “Al excluders”, and those that have developed mechanisms of the latter type are called “Al accumulators”. Aluminium accumulators are widely distributed in acid soils, particularly in humid tropics. In addition to their geographical distribution, Al accumulators show a wide phylogenetic distribution in plant. Here I discussed physiological characteristics of Al accumulation among different Al accumulator species within various vascular plant taxa. Results from the literature suggested that variation of the Al detoxification and accumulation mechanisms in the tissue of Al accumulators seemed to be small in vascular plant