Combined Selenium and Zinc Biofortification of Bread-Making Wheat under Mediterranean Conditions.

Dolores Reynolds-Marzal,Maria J Poblaciones,Oscar Santamaria,Angelica Rivera-Martin

doi:10.3390/plants10061209

Dolores Reynolds-Marzal, Maria J Poblaciones + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10061209

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Abstract

Millions of people worldwide have an inadequate intake of selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn), and agronomic biofortification may minimise these problems. To evaluate the efficacy of combined foliar Se and Zn fertilisation in bread making wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), a two-year field experiment was established in southern Spain under semi-arid Mediterranean conditions, by following a split-split-plot design. The study year (2017/2018, 2018/2019) was considered as the main-plot factor, soil Zn application (50 kg Zn ha−1, nor Zn) as a subplot factor and foliar application (nor Se, 10 g Se ha−1, 8 kg Zn ha−1, 10 g Se ha−1 + 8 kg Zn ha−1) as a sub-subplot factor. The best treatment to increase both Zn and Se concentration in both straw, 12.3- and 2.7-fold respectively, and grain, 1.3- and 4.3-fold respectively, was the combined foliar application of Zn and Se. This combined Zn and Se application also increased on average the yield of grain, main product of this crop, by almost 7%. Therefore, bread-making wheat seems to be a very suitable crop to be used in biofortification programs with Zn and Se to alleviate their deficiency in both, people when using its grain and livestock when using its straw.

Highlights

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The split-plot analysis of variance (ANOVA) performed to evaluate the residual effect of the Zn applications by analysing the concentration of Zn into the topsoil showed the main effects ‘sampling time’, ‘Zn application’ and their interaction to be all significant variables
Considering that the required amount of Zn and Se by humans is about 15 mg Zn day−1 and 55 μg Se day−1, respectively [33,34], and that livestock requires about 35 mg Zn kg−1 and 0.1–0.5 mg Se kg−1 feed DM, respectively [35], without biofortification, the levels reached in the different parts of the wheat plant might be under these values. This fact supports the idea that low levels of Zn and Se into soil, such as it was in this case, might produce plants with inadequate Zn and Se concentration in their edible parts to accomplish the required necessities in humans and livestock

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cereals are the most important crops for both animal feed and human nutrition, supplying between 25% and 90% of their daily energy needs. Wheat is one of the most important, being grown in 120 countries, China, India and Russia as the main producers, with a harvested area of around 220 million ha and a production of more than 770 million Mg [1]. Its relevance lies in the fact that around 82% of wheat grain is made up of carbohydrates, with more than 60% being starch, with an adequate protein content [2]

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