Amelioration of aluminium toxicity in wheat by fluoride

summary The deleterious effects of aluminium in the rhizosphere on growth, root morphology, ion uptake, and stomatal conductance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were prevented or attenuated by the inclusion of fluoride in the growth medium; the more fluoride present relative to the concentration of aluminium, the greater the alleviation. Results support the conclusion that the ameliorative effects of fluoride were due to reductions in the concentration of the rhizotoxic trivalent cation (Al3+) through the formation of aluminium–fluoride complexes that are neither phytotoxic nor readily translocated from roots to shoots.