Agrotechnical Biofortification as a Method to Increase Selenium Content in Spring Wheat

Abstract

Selenium (Se) is a micronutrient that is insufficiently present in the human diet. Increasing its content in food through appropriately matched agricultural practices may contribute to reducing Se deficit in humans. The study covered the effect of grain, soil, as well as grain and soil fertilization with selenium combined with foliar application at different stages of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) development. The fertilization involved the application of sodium selenate. Fertilization with selenium had no significant effect on the grain yield. Grain application, soil application, and grain and soil application combined with foliar application at particular development stages of the plant significantly contributed to an increase in selenium content in grain. The study showed that the accumulation of selenium in spring wheat depends on the type of fertilization and term of its application. The best method of introducing selenium into the plant is grain and soil fertilization combined with foliar application at the stage of tillering and stem elongation (G + S + F1-2) for which the highest selenium content was obtained (0.696 mg·kg−1 Se). The applied biofortification methods contributed to the increase in selenium in the grain of spring wheat.