Assessing Aluminum Resistance in Transgenic Atmateines

The transgenic atmate lines, along with wild type (WT) and atmate plants, were tested for aluminum (Al) resistance. Two-week-old seedlings were pre-treated with 0.5 mM CaCl₂ and then exposed to 0 (control) and 50 μM AlCl₃ for 7 days. Root tips were collected for analysis of relative root elongation (RRE), Evans blue staining, and Chrome Azurol S staining. RRE% = (Al-treated root length − Al untreated root length)/(Control untreated root length − Control treated root length). Evans blue staining was used to assess plant cell injury and activity under acidic conditions. Root tips were stained with a 0.25% Evans blue solution. Chrome azurol S staining was performed to measure the accumulation of Al. Root tips were stained with a 0.1% Chrome azurol S solution. Stained roots were observed and captured using a dissecting microscope.