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Aluminium toxicity is an important abiotic factor limiting the growth and yield of oat plants (Avena sativa L.) and other cultivated species. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the response of oat cultivars at the reproductive stage to aluminium under acid soil conditions and to compare with the responses observed at seedling stage under hydroponic conditions. In the soil, the damage to the above-ground part of the plant was estimated by the morphological response to aluminium, shoot length, shoot dry mass and plant height and, to the below-ground part of the plant as the length of roots and root dry mass. In hydroponics, the primary root regrowth was used to define the level of tolerance. The comparison of the results obtained in acid soil with those obtained in hydroponics demonstrated that both conditions produced essentially the same responses. The use of hydroponic solution can be a valuable tool for phenotyping large populations, especially useful for breeding programmes located in regions were aluminium is not present at toxic levels in the soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]