Mineral Nutrition of Two Potato Cultivars Diff ering in Aluminium Tolerance, as Aff ected by Liming and Soil Acidity

Acid soil is one of the most important limitations in agricultural production worldwide. Th e application of lime and the growth of Al-tolerant genotypes are the most commonly employed strategies for the amelioration of acidic soil constraints. Th is study evaluates the eff ect of soil acidity and liming on the growth and mineral nutrition of Al-tolerant potato cv. Tresor and Al-sensitive potato cv. Canberra (Solanum tuberosum L.). Liming increased the total shoot and root dry matter (DM) of cv. Canberra, and the leaf DM of cv. Tresor. ‘Tresor’ retained a greater ability to acquire nutrients from acidic soil, especially P, Ca, and Mg. In addition, the Al content in the root tips and in other vegetative parts of acidic soil-grown plants indicates, on one hand, the complexity of acidic soil toxicity that was not solely related to Al toxicity and, on the other, the possible involvement of multiple mechanisms of Al tolerance that could be partly related to better nutrient uptake from acidic soil.