Evaluation of 'Anahuac' wheat mutant lines for aluminum tolerance

Seeds from the aluminum sensitive cultivar ‘Anahuac’ were treated by gamma-ray radiation. Twenty eight selected Al⁺³ tolerant mutants were compared to the original Anahuac and the tolerant wheat cultivars IAC-24 and IAC-60 from 1994 to 1996 in acid (Capão Bonito) and limed (Monte Alegre do Sul and Tatui) soil field trials. Grain yield and agronomic characteristics were analyzed. Twenty six mutant lines yielded higher than the sensitive Anahuac cultivar in the acid soils of Capão Bonito. Under limed soil conditions, the mutants had a similar yield to the original sensitive cultivar. The majority of the mutants were similar in yield to the tolerant cultivars IAC-24 and IAC-60 under both conditions. Some of the mutants showed altered agronomic characteristics but even in these cases this will not limit its utilization. The results indicated that tolerant lines with good characteristics may be obtained from a susceptible cultivar by mutation induction, thus allowing cropping in conditions where Al⁺³ is a limiting factor.     

Inheritance of Aluminum Tolerance and its Effects on Grain Yield and Grain Quality in Oats (Avena Sativa L.)

Summary Aluminum toxicity due to the cation Al⁺³ is a major factor limiting yields in acid soils. Wide genetic variability to aluminum tolerance is found in oat genotypes. The objectives of this study were to determine the number of genes controlling aluminum tolerance in oats and to verify if any detrimental effects were present of the aluminum tolerance genes on grain yield and grain quality in Al⁺³free soils. Aluminum tolerance was estimated as the average regrowth of the main root after exposure to toxic levels of Al⁺³ in a hydroponic solution under controlled conditions. The number of genes controlling that trait was estimated from the distribution of the average root regrowth frequencies in a population of 333 recombinant inbred lines (RIL's) in generations F_5:6 and F_5:7. The effects on grain yield and grain quality were assessed in a subpopulation of 162 RIL's chosen based on their aluminum tolerance response. Aluminum tolerance in the evaluated population was controlled by one dominant major gene with the tolerant genotypes carying Al _a Al _a and the sensitive ones al _a al _a alleles. No detrimental effects of the Al _a allele on grain yield or grain quality were detected.Part of the Master of Science dissertation of the first author     

Evaluation of Triticum aestivum germplasm from Croatia and Yugoslavia for aluminium tolerance

Summary Aluminium tolerance of 90 genotypes of Triticum aestivum L. germplasm from the breeding programmes of eight Croatian and Yugoslav institutions was evaluated in nutrient solutions having Al³⁺ activities of 0, 12.5 and 25M. Overall distribution of Al tolerance of wheat genotypes was skewed toward lower tolerance rankings. Average Al tolerance differed among gene pools created at different breeding institutions. Genotypes tolerant enough to be useful in the breeding programmes aimed at selecting cultivars with improved Al tolerance are identified in germplasm from four institutions. No correlation was found between chemical characteristics of soils used over the years by breeding institutions for their field trials and the Al-tolerance ranking of the corresponding germplasm material.Abbreviations HSD Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference - RRL-4 relative root length, in % (25M Al³⁺/0 Al)     

Variation for tolerance to high concentration of ferrous iron (Fe<Superscript>2+</Superscript>) in Australian hexaploid wheat

High concentration of reduced iron (Fe²⁺) in waterlogged acid soils is a constraint for growing wheat in high rainfall (waterlogged-prone) areas of Western Australia. Growing crop genotypes tolerant to high Fe²⁺ concentrations may be desirable in such situations, but there is no knowledge about the extent of variability in Fe²⁺ tolerance in the wheat germplasm. A bioassay for tolerance to high concentrations of iron in wheat was developed and optimised using Siete Cerros (Fe-tolerant) and BH1146 (Fe-intolerant) as control genotypes and a range of FeSO₄ concentrations (36, 313, 625, 1250, 1875, 2500 and 3125 μM Fe²⁺) in nutrient solution in a controlled-temperature environment. Increasing external concentration of iron decreased both shoot and root dry weight, increased shoot iron concentration and intensified the development of toxicity symptoms to a greater degree in intolerant BH1146 as compared to tolerant Siete Cerros. Increased iron supply negatively affected uptake of Ca (r = −0.41) and Mg (r = −0.40). The tolerant genotype Siete Cerros showed an improved avoidance/exclusion of high external concentration of Fe²⁺ compared with intolerant BH1146. The genotypic discrimination based on relative root dry weight and the development of toxicity symptoms was most pronounced at 625 μM Fe²⁺. This concentration was chosen for screening of 20 bread wheat and one durum genotype chosen from a preliminary screening of 94 Australian wheat genotypes. A relatively narrow but significant variation (22–38%) in terms of relative root dry weight under Fe²⁺ toxicity was observed among Australian advanced breeding lines and varieties. The presence of genotypic variation for Fe²⁺ tolerance across and within the Australian breeding programs could be exploited in a deliberate selection process to enhance Fe²⁺ tolerance in wheat. Durum wheat (Arrivato) and several Australian wheat varieties and advanced lines in this study were as tolerant to Fe²⁺ toxicity as Siete Cerros, a variety representing common parentage of iron-tolerant genotypes.     

Genotypic differences in wheat Al tolerance

Summary Aluminium tolerance of 83 genotypes from Croatian and Yugoslav Triticum aestivum germplasm was evaluated in nutrient solutions having Al³⁺ activities of 0, 12.5 and 25 M. Relative root length (25 M Al³⁺/0 Al) of various genotypes ranged from 2 to 97% (from very sensitive to tolerant to Al). No genotype with Al tolerance close to that of very tolerant cultivar Atlas-66 was found. Soil, climatic, fertilization, and liming effects that wheat plants giving seeds for the nutrient solution Al-tolerance screening had been subjected to during their growth cycle did not influence the Al-tolerance ranking. Significant correlation was found between screening wheat for Al tolerance in nutrient solutions and in acid Pseudogley soil amended with five rates of limestone in a greenhouse experiment. Seed protein concentration was significantly related to the Al-tolerance ranking (r² = 0.962). Such a significant correlation was not obtained in a case of rheological and other quality characteristics of seeds. Al-tolerant wheat genotypes identified in this study will be used in breeding for improved Al tolerance.Abbreviations HSD Tukey's Honestly Significant Difference - RRL-2 relative root length, in % (12.5 M Al³⁺/0 Al) - RRL-4 relative root length, in % (25 M Al³/0 Al)     

Barley mutants with increased tolerance to aluminium toxicity

Acid soil and associated aluminium toxicity are considered as the number one abiotic factor limiting crop production. Over 2 billion hectares of acid soils exist world-wide, both in tropical and moderate climatic zones. In Poland acid soils represent up to60% of arable land. At soil pH < 5.0 Al ions become soluble in water and toxic to plants. Genetic improvement of Al tolerance in crops is the only alternative to soil liming, a traditional but short term and expensive agricultural cure to raise soil pH. Of the various cereals, barley is the most sensitive to Al toxicity. The known sources of Al tolerance in barley are limited to old cultivars and landraces. While they represent multiple alleles of a single locus, there is no potential to improve Al tolerance through recombination of non-allelic additive genes. In the Department of Genetics, Silesian University we have employed induced mutations for rapid creation of variability for Al tolerance in barley. Thirteen mutants with increased levels of tolerance to Al toxicity have been selected in M₃ generation after mutagenic treatment of four barley varieties with N-methyl-N-nitroso urea (MNH) and sodium azide. Six further Al tolerant mutants were identified in the collection of semi-dwarf mutants of the Department. All selected mutants confirmed Al tolerance with the use of three different methods of screening, i.e., root re-growth, root tolerance index and hematoxylin staining. Fourteen mutants exhibited significant root re-growth after 48 hour incubation with 3 ppm Al⁺³ and two of them, namely RL819/2 and RL820/6 were tolerant even to 6 ppm Al⁺³. Crosses of two selected mutants with their respective parent varieties indicated that Al tolerance in each mutant was controlled by a single recessive gene. Out of three methods tested, the root re-growth method facilitated by hematoxylin staining proved to be the most reliable technique for large scale testing. Double treatment with MNH or combined treatment with sodium azide and MNH and 6hinter-incubation germination between treatments were the most successful treatment combinations for induction of aluminium tolerance in barley. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

High molecular weight glutenin subunits of current bread wheats grown in Iran

Variation of high molecular weight gluteninsubunits (HMW-GS) at the Glu-1 lociwas studied using SDS-PAGE method in 43advanced lines or cultivars commonly grownin Iran. Fourteen alleles and 21 alleliccompositions were detected. Among the 43bread wheats analysed only five showed aunique HMW-GS composition. The mostfrequent HMW-GS patterns were 2^*, 7+8,2+12 and 2^*, 17+18, 2+12 which wereobserved in 13 and six cultivars,respectively. In the remainings, each twoto three lines or cultivars showed a commonHMW-GS pattern. Therefore, allelicvariation at Glu-1 loci is of limitedvalue for cultivar identification comparedwith loci controlling gliadins. Sevencultivars were observed to consist of twoto three biotypes with different alleles.In cultivar Mahdavi a biotype showedinactivity at the Glu-B1 locus. Analready reported rare subunit pair'2^***+12' at Glu-D1locus was found in cultivar Kavir. Theresults of scoring cultivars for theirquality based on the HMW-GS compositionswith an average score of eight, wasgenerally good. Cultivars Inia, Tajan, andadvanced lines N-75-11 and N-75-15 showedquality score equal to 10, whereas Alamootand C-75-5 showed quality scores equal tofive. The quality of former and latterlines and cultivars were considered highestand lowest, respectively. The resultsobtained in this study are useful inbreeding programs to improve bread makingquality, developing uniformity andimproving heterogeneous cultivars by meansof selection of the best genotypes.     

Responses of wheat and barley genotypes to toxic concentrations of soil boron

Summary The growth and yield of seven wheat and two barley cultivars or lines, previously found to show different degrees of boron tolerance under field conditions, were compared in a pot experiment at a range of soil boron treatments. Soil treatments ranged up to 150 mg/kg applied B. Extractable B in soils ranged up to 103 mg/kg.At the highest B treatment seedling emergence was delayed, but the percentage emergence was not reduced. The degree of boron toxicity symptom expression varied between the wheat cultivars and lines, with the two most tolerant, Halberd and (Wq^*KP)^*WmH)/6/12, displaying the least symptoms.The concentration of boron applied to the soil which produced a significant depression of growth and yield varied between cultivars. For example, the yield of (Wq^*KP)^*WmH)/6/12 was not affected at the 100 mg/kg applied boron treatment, while the grain yield for (Wl^*MMC)/W1/10 was significantly reduced at the 25 mg/kg treatment.There was a linear increase in boron concentration in tillers at the boot-stage with increasing concentration of boron in the soil. The most boron tolerant genotypes had the lowest tissue boron concentrations in each of the treatments. Halberd and (Wq^*KP)^*WmH)/6/12 had approximately half the boron concentrations of the more sensitive genotypes at the 25 and 50 mg/kg treatments. Differential tolerance of boron within the tissue was also observed. Both Stirling and (Wl^*MMC)/W1/10 had significantly reduced total dry matter and grain yields at the 25 mg/kg treatment, while the concentrations of boron in boot stage tillers at this treatment were 118 and 100 mg/kg, respectively. On the other hand, Halberd and (Wq^*KP)^*WmH)/6/12 had tissue boron concentrations of 144 and 131 mg/kg, respectively, at the 50 mg/kg treatment but yield was unaffected.The relative responses in the pot experiment, for wheat, were in close agreement with field results. Halberd and (Wq^*KP)^*WmH)/6/12 had the highest grain yields, with the lowest concentrations of boron in the grain when grown under high boron conditions in the field. In pots these two genotypes proved to be the most tolerant of boron. For barley the advantage in grain yield in the field, expressed by WI-2584 compared with Stirling, was not repeated in pots. WI-2584 was, however, more tolerant than Stirling on the basis of total dry matter production.The results show that useful variation in boron tolerance exists among wheat, and that breeding should be able to provide cultivars tolerant to high levels of boron.     

Inheritance of salt tolerance in rice

Summary The genetic behavior of salt tolerance was studied in artificially salinized conditions at the International Rice Research Institute.Divergent selection, carried out at a salinity level where the ECe was 15.2 mmhos/cm at 25 C in F₃ lines from two crosses confirmed the effects of salt tolerance on F₄ progeny with realized heritability values of 0.39 and 0.62, respectively.In a cross between two tolerant cultivars there was clear over-dominance for tolerance, despite the high environmental fluctuation which resulted in a low genetic response as indicated by a low but significant repeatability of 0.20–0.25, and many progeny lines more tolerant than the parents were recovered. The superior tolerance of these progenies compared to the parents was confirmed subsequently at 3 different salt levels. In the same experiment a cross between tolerant and susceptible cultivars produced some progeny of comparable tolerance with tolerant sources.In a 6×6 diallel cross experiment with two tolerant, moderate, and susceptible varieties each, both general and specific combining ability were significant.The findings indicate the possibility of breeding rices more tolerant than existing tolerant cultivars through cumulative crosses of tolerant cultivars. Further improvement can be attained by crossing highly tolerant lines with donors of good agronomic traits and pest and disease resistance.     

茶树体内铝形态及铝累积特性

设置不同Al³⁺浓度对青茶进行50 d处理,调查茶树铝含量和铝的化学配位形态。结果表明,茶树体内的铝大多以有机态或螯合态形式存在;茶树老叶具有高积累铝的特性,但以5 mmol L^-1铝处理时,运输到叶片的铝减少,积累于茶树根部的铝增多。利用²⁷Al NMR技术检测表明,茶树各器官中普遍存在Al₁₃的强烈共振吸收峰;在各器官中还出现–0.38×10^-6处和–0.17×10^-6处的微弱吸收峰,为目前尚未检出的铝络合物形式;在5 mmol L^-1 Al³⁺处理下,青茶老叶中含有更多的Al-复合物,包括Al-草酸盐(1∶2)、Al-草酸盐(1∶2)和Al-磷酸复合物,说明茶树体中的铝通过与其他物质形成络合物以降低铝的毒性。     

Variation in Salinity Tolerance in Sunflower (Helianthus annum L.)

Forty-five accessions of sunflower collected from different countries were screened for salinity tolerance after 2 weeks growth in sand culture salinized with 150 meq l^?1 of NaCl₂+ CaCl₂ (1:1 ratio equivalent wt. basis) in half strength Hoagland's nutrient solution. The results for plant biomass of 45 accessions show that there was considerable variation in salinity tolerance. In a further greenhouse experiment, the salinity tolerance of three tolerant (HO-1, Predovik, Euroflor) and two sensitive (SMH-24, 9UO-985) lines (selected on the basis of their performance in the seedling experiment) was assessed at the adult stage to evaluate the consistency of salinity tolerance at different growth stages. All three salt tolerant accessions produced significantly greater plant biomass, seed yield and seed oil content than the salt sensitive accessions. The tolerant accessions accumulated less Cl^? and more K⁺ in the leaves under saline conditions compared with the salt sensitive accessions. The salt tolerant accessions also maintained relatively high leaf K:Na ratio and K⁺ versus Na⁺ selectivity. Although statistically nonsignificant, all three tolerant accessions had greater soluble carbohydrates, soluble proteins, total free amino acids and proline in the leaves than the sensitive accessions. A field trial conducted in a salt-affected field confirmed the greenhouse results of the selected accessions. This study shows that salinity tolerance of sunflower does not vary with stage of plant cycle, so selection for increased salt tolerance can be carried out at the initial growth stage. Secondly, it is found that there is great variation of salt tolerance in sunflower. Low uptake of Cl^?, high uptake of K⁺, and maintenance of high K:Na ratios and K⁺ versus Na⁺ selectivity in the leaves and possibly the accumulation of organic osmotica such as soluble carbohydrates, soluble proteins, proline and free amino acids seem to be the important components of salt tolerance in sunflower.     

高温胁迫对早稻根系质膜ATPase活性及NH4+吸收速率的影响

以耐热型品种“农大228”、“082”和热敏感品种“茉莉占”、“协清早B”为材料，研究高温胁迫后不同耐性品种之间的生理差异。结果如下：高温胁迫后，耐热型品种根系质膜ATPa~e活性升高，热敏感型品种活性降低；耐热型品种根系NHf吸收速率不受影响，热敏感型品种明显下降。高温胁迫后根系NHf吸收动力学参数的变化与品种的耐热性无关。     

Studies on differential response of wheat cultivars to boron toxicity

Experiments were carried out to study the differential responses of different wheat cultivars to boron toxicity in field, greenhouse and growth chamber conditions. In field trials carried out at two locations, both of which are known to contain toxic amounts of water-extractable B, significant correlations were obtained between toxicity symptoms and grain yields. The only durum cultivar included in this group of experiments (Kunduru 1149) was the most sensitive of the 21 cultivars trialed. The most tolerant cultivars were of local origin. Genotype-environment interaction was considerably large. Twenty-nine bread wheat and three durum wheat cultivars were compared in a greenhouse experiment with and without the application of 40 mg L^-1 B. Again, the durums were the most sensitive cultivars. The most tolerant cultivars were either selections from local populations or had at least one parent of local origin. The detrimental effect of B on root dry matter production was much higher than on shoot dry matter (45 and 26%, respectively), but genotypical variation was greater in shoot growth retardation. While this implies the possible role of reduced translocation, high concentrations of B in the shoots of tolerant cultivars (though lower than in the sensitive cultivars) indicated the existence of other contributing mechanisms, such as tissue tolerance. Also, greater genotypical variation in older leaves showed that reduced uptake might be more important than reduced translocation in some cases. Due to the lack of correlation between results from the field and the controlled-environment studies, it was concluded that screenings should be undertaken in both situations as a means of verification. Another conclusion drawn was that symptom scoring for B tolerance was more reliable than measuring plant B concentrations. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Assessment of tolerance to salt stress in Kenyan tomato germplasm

Tomato is an important vegetable crop in Kenya and the development of salt tolerant cultivars would enhance its productivity in the vast marginal areas of the country. This study was aimed at determining the magnitude of genotypic variability for salt tolerance in the Kenyan tomato germplasm. Pot experiments with 22 landraces and 9 market cultivars were laid out as a two and four replicate split-plot design in glasshouse in Experiments 1 and 2, respectively. Salt treatments in Experiment 1 were 0 and 5 g NaCl kg^-1 resulting into 0.5 and 9.1 dS m^-1 of the soil saturation extracts, respectively. In Experiment 2 the treatments were 0, 4, and 8 g NaCl kg^-1 soil corresponding to 0.5, 7.4, and 14.2 dS m^-1, respectively. Data were recorded on agronomic and biochemical parameters. The germplasm showed large variation for salt tolerance. Fruit and seed production at soil salinity of 14.2 dS m^-1 demonstrated that these tomatoes are fairly tolerant of NaCl. Osmotic adjustment was achieved by higher fruit electrical conductivity, brix and total titratable acidity. Low and high contents of K⁺, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ within tomato tissues and soil, respectively, under salt treatment, confirmed competition and antagonism involving Na⁺ and these cations. Low Na⁺ and Cl^- contents in the fruit at 7.4 dS m^-1 revealed their exclusion and ensured production of physiologically normal seeds and nutritionally healthy fruits. Two landraces ‘Chwerotonglo’ and ‘Nyanyandogo’ were identified as salt tolerant. Comparatively, the market cultivars showed superior fruit yields despite their susceptibility to salinity. Accordingly, tolerance of landraces in combination with superior yields of the market cultivars is suitable for tomato improvement for salt tolerance. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

不同浓度NaCl对两个玉米品种Na+、K+、Ca2+含量的影响

比较不同耐盐性品种在NaCl胁迫下的离子含量的差异,为耐盐玉米的筛选提供理论依据。玉米耐盐品种‘郑单958’和盐敏感品种‘齐单1号’在含0%、0.2%、0.4%、0.6%、0.8%、1.0% NaCl的砂子中生长,分别测定根、茎和叶片中Na+、K+、Ca2+含量。NaCl胁迫下,Na+、K+、Ca2+含量在两个玉米品种间、NaCl浓度间差异均达到极显著水平。NaCl胁迫下,两个玉米品种根茎叶中Na+含量均增加,根中Na+含量增加的幅度大于茎和叶,‘郑单958’根中的Na+含量高于‘齐单1号’;K+、Ca2+含量随NaCl浓度的升高而降低。高盐胁迫下,‘郑单958’根中K+含量降低的幅度大于‘齐单1号’,而茎中K+含量降低的幅度小于‘齐单1号’;‘郑单958’茎和叶片中Ca2+含量降低的幅度小于‘齐单1号’。两个玉米品种在离子含量间表现出的差异非常明显,Na+、K+、Ca2+含量可以作为玉米耐盐性鉴定和筛选指标。     

不同生育期水稻耐冷性的鉴定及耐冷性差异的生理机制

以粳稻9516、H45、武育粳、转PEPC基因水稻、Kitaake、苏沪香粳，籼稻扬稻6号、香籼、IR64，培矮64S以及杂交稻粤优938、汕优63、X07S/紫徽100、两优培九等14个水稻品种为材料，分别鉴定了芽期（胚根1 cm, 胚芽0.5 cm）、苗期（三叶）和孕穗期的耐冷性，同时选取南京对水稻播种敏感的自然低温条件，进行低温鉴定。结果表明，芽期存活率、苗期的枯死率和孕穗期结实率均为可靠的水稻耐冷性鉴定指标。进一步从叶片的光合速率、PSⅡ光化学效率（F_v/F_m）、脂肪酸组分、活性氧指标(丙二醛,过氧化氢和超氧阴离子和抗氧化物质(抗坏血酸和谷胱甘肽)的变化等方面，研究耐冷性不同的水稻的耐冷生理机制。表明耐冷的水稻品种武育粳含较多的不饱和脂肪酸，在低温逆境下，膜的流动性愈大，低温对其伤害愈小；对杂交稻汕优63而言，其叶内抵御逆境的保护系统抗坏血酸和谷胱甘肽的循环被较大地激活，特别是谷胱甘肽再生的高速运转，与不耐冷的品种香籼相比，汕优63叶内的过氧化物质累积较少，其耐冷性表现中等。看来水稻叶片维持高的脂肪酸不饱和指数和谷胱甘肽的周转循环能力是水稻耐冷的重要特征。     

A proposal for aluminum tolerance selection in white oat under hydroponic conditions

White oat genotypes were subjected to Al stress in hydroponic conditions in order to verify the viability of methods based on minimum nutrient solution (MNS) in comparison to complete nutrient solution (CNS), commonly used in the characterization and selection for Al tolerance in this species. The experimental design was completely randomized blocks with three replicates composed of 10 seedlings each. Six white oat genotypes subjected to different Al levels in minimum (0, 3, 6, and 9 mg L⁻¹) and complete (0, 10, 20, and 30 mg L⁻¹) solutions were evaluated. In this evaluation, the MNS was efficient in identifying aluminum-tolerant, white oat genotypes under hydroponics. The root growth resumption showed to be the most effective trait in the aluminum-tolerant plant selection. At concentrations equal to or higher than 3 mg Al L⁻¹ in minimum and 10 mg Al L⁻¹ in complete solution, severe damage caused by the toxic element on root development was verified. The white oat cultivars UFRGS 14, ALBASUL, and BARBARASUL showed aluminum tolerance in the tested conditions.     

棉花苗期耐低钾能力筛选指标研究及其与产量、品质的关系

以长江流域下游棉区的12个棉花主栽品种为研究材料,在人工气候室水培和田间种植条件下进行棉花苗期耐低钾能力筛选指标研究。结果表明,低钾会放大棉花苗期关于钾素吸收利用和光合碳同化等生理特性上的品种间差异幅度。土壤严重缺钾时会显著降低棉花铃数、铃重及衣分,其中铃数响应土壤缺钾最为敏感,而在铃重组成中纤维质量对土壤缺钾的响应幅度大于棉子质量。通过对比基于棉花苗期不同生理指标和最终产量与品质指标的筛选结果,发现综合考虑棉花苗期叶片SuSy活性、SPAD值和单株叶片生物量3项指标的低钾胁迫系数对棉花最终产量与品质的耐低钾能力具有较好的预测效果。通过试验筛选出低钾敏感型棉花品种泗杂3号和耐低钾型棉花品种泗棉3号,二者可作为进一步研究低钾环境下棉花产量、品质形成机理的理想试验材料。     

Genetic variability in tolerance to cadmium and accumulation of heavy metals in pea (Pisum sativum L.)

Ninety-nine wild growing and primitive varieties of garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) were screened for tolerance to cadmium (Cd) toxicity in quartz sand culture. Cadmium tolerance was determined by the time to plant death when treated with a lethal Cd concentration (13 mg kg^-1), and by a tolerance index (TI) calculated as a ratio between biomasses of Cd-treated and untreated plants in the presence of toxic Cd concentrations (7 mg kg^-1 and 5 mg kg^-1). The Cd-tolerance index varied significantly between pea genotypes from 35% to 90% and from 54% to 100% in the presence of 7 and5 mg Cd kg^-1, respectively. Shoot Cd concentration of tolerant and sensitive genotypes grown in the presence of 5 mg Cdkg^-1 varied between 35 mg Cd kg^-1and 135 mg Cd kg^-1 (dry weight) and was negatively correlated with TI. Certain tolerant pea genotypes were characterized by a high Cd concentration in shoots. All varieties were also screened for their ability to take up heavy metals (HMs) from a slightly contaminated soil. The concentration of Cd, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, strontium and zinc in plant shoots varied between pea genotypes by a factor of 2.8, 4.9, 2.7, 3.5, 9.7, 3.9 and 4.0, respectively. The coefficients of variation between pea genotypes for HM concentration were high, varying from 23%to 39% depending on the metal. The distribution patterns for varieties based on Cd tolerance (sand culture) and HM concentrations (soil culture) were characterised by positive skewness coefficients, suggesting that the majority of pea genotypes was relatively sensitive to Cd toxicity and tended to avoid excessive accumulation of HMs in shoots. These results show that a high genetic variability exists in pea with regards to Cd tolerance and HM accumulation. Concentrations of different HMs in plants grown in soil correlated positively with each other, with the exception of chromium. There was no correlation between Cd tolerance of the varieties in sand culture, shoot concentration of HMs in soil culture, biomass production, subspecies and geographical origin of the varieties. The genetic systems controlling Cd tolerance, HM accumulation and morphological traits are therefore independent to some extent, suggesting a possibility for breeding pea cultivars characterised by high tolerance to and low concentration of HMs in shoots. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.