Aluminium tolerance of 83 genotypes from Croatian and Yugoslav Triticum aestivum germplasm was evaluated in nutrient solutions having Al" activities of 0, 12 .5 and 25 AM . Relative root length (25 AM A13+/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 Β΅M A13+/0 Al) ; RRL-4 -relative root length, in % (25 AM Al`/0 Al). 'Root length achieved during 4-d growth in control solution (no Al added) .