Soil acidity, associated with aluminium (Al) toxicity and low phosphorus (P) availability, is considered the most important problem for agricultural production. Even though the Al-P interaction has been widely investigated, the impact of P-nutrition on Al-toxicity still remains controversial and poorly understood. To elucidate further insights into the underlying mechanisms of this interaction in ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), P uptake, antioxidant responses and the gene expression of phosphate transporters were determined. Two ryegrass cultivars with different Al resistances, the Al-tolerant Nui cultivar and the Al-sensitive Expo cultivar were hydroponically grown under low (16 mu M) and optimal (100 mu M) P doses for 16 days. After P treatments, plants were exposed to Al doses (0 and 200 mu M) under acidic conditions (pH 4.8) for 24 h. Al and P accumulation were higher in the roots of Nui than that of Expo. Moreover, lower Al accumulation was found in shoots of Nui independent of P supplies. Oxidative stress induced by Al-toxicity and P-deficiency was more severe in the Al-sensitive Expo. Expression levels of L. perenne phosphate transporters were higher in Nui than they were in Expo. While LpPHT1 expression was up-regulated by P deficiency and Al toxicity in both cultivars, LpPHT4 expression only increased in the Al-tolerant cultivar. This report shows that the higher Al-tolerance of Nui can be attributed to a greater antioxidant system under both P conditions. The observation of higher P and Al accumulation in roots of Nui might indicate that the Al-tolerance of Nui is a consequence of Al immobilization by P mediated by the high expression of phosphate transporters.