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Soil Application of Selenium in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Under Water Stress Improves Grain Quality and Reduces Production Losses

Authors :
Leônidas Canuto dos Santos
Gabryel Silva Martins
Pedro Antônio Namorato Benevenute
Jucelino de Sousa Lima
Fernanda Ribeiro dos Santos
Otávio Vitor Souza Andrade
Indira Pereira de Oliveira
Fábio Henrique Alves Bispo
Lívia Botelho
Flávio Henrique Silveira Rabêlo
Paulo Eduardo Ribeiro Marchiori
Luiz Roberto Guimarães Guilherme
Guilherme Lopes
Source :
Plants, Vol 13, Iss 24, p 3460 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

Selenium (Se) is an essential element for humans. However, much of the world’s human population is deficient in this element, which has become a public health problem. This study aimed to evaluate whether applying severe water stress to wheat plants (Triticum aestivum L.) could allow Se to reduce the production losses and increase the grain quality, thereby contributing to the reduction in hidden hunger. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with four replications in a 5 × 2 factorial scheme, with five doses of Se (0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 1.00, and 2.00 mg dm−3) and two irrigation conditions (with and without water deficit). When sodium selenate (Na2SeO4) was applied to the soil, the grains were rich in Se. Under low doses, there was an enrichment of the grains in sulfur, iron, copper, and zinc as well as total free amino acids and total soluble proteins, and lower losses in productivity under severe water stress. Higher doses decreased the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), increased the catalase activity, and increased the water use efficiency (WUE). Therefore, applying Se at a dose of 0.25 mg dm−3 is effective for the biofortification of wheat grains. It enhances grain nutritional quality, increases Se bioaccessibility, and reduces production losses under water stress conditions.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
22237747
Volume :
13
Issue :
24
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Plants
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.9ee6f43ad89a4fe197e2a1e018fd7228
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13243460