Abstract: Aluminum is one of the primary environmental factors that limit crops production in acid soil. In this study, rice roots were respectively exposed to 0, 50, 100 and 150 mmol·L^-1 aluminum stress. The effects of aluminum on the growth of rice root were stuclied. The present results showed that roots growth (root length and fresh weight) of rice decreased with the increase of the concentration of aluminum. The level of cell death of rice root tip and the content of H₂O₂ in rice root increased. Treatment with dimethylthiourea (DMTU, scavenger of H₂O₂) decreased the content of H₂O₂ in rice root. Moreover, DMTU treatments partially alleviated the root cell death and growth inhibition induced by aluminum stress. These results suggested that the effect of aluminum stress on rice root growth could be partly due to the accumulation of H₂O₂ in roots of rice.

Key words: aluminum, rice, growth of rice roots