Abstract
Production of functional food with high levels of selenium (Se) and iodine (I) obtained via plant biofortification shows significant difficulties due to the complex interaction between the two elements. Taking into account the known beneficial effect of silicon (Si) on plant growth and development, single and joint foliar biofortification of chervil plants with potassium iodide (150 mg L−1) and sodium selenate (10 mg L−1) was carried out in a pot experiment with and without Si nanoparticles foliar supplementation. Compared to control plants, nano-Si (14 mg L−1) increased shoot biomass in all treatments: by 4.8 times with Si; by 2.8 times with I + Si; by 5.6 times with Se + Si; by 4.0 times with I + Se + Si. The correspondent increases in root biomass were 4.5, 8.7, 13.3 and 10.0 times, respectively. The growth stimulation effect of Se, I and I + Se treatments resulted in a 2.7, 3.5 and 3.6 times increase for chervil shoots and 1.6, 3.1 and 8.6 times for roots, respectively. Nano-Si improved I biofortification levels by twice, while I and Se enhanced the plant content of each other. All treatments decreased nitrate levels, compared to control, and increased the photopigment accumulation. Improvement of total antioxidant activity and phenolic content was recorded only under the joint application of Se + I + Si. Foliar nano-Si treatment affected other element content in plants: decreased Na+ accumulation in single and joint supplementation with Se and I, restored Fe, Mn and Cr amount compared to the decreased levels recorded in separately Se and I fortified plants and promoted Al accumulation both with or without Se and I biofortification. The results of this research suggest high prospects of foliar nano-Si supply for enhancing both growth and joint I/Se biofortification of chervil.
Highlights
Among the micro-elements which are essential for human beings and beneficial for plants, selenium (Se) and iodine (I) have special importance, mainly for their participation in the growth and development of all living beings, antioxidant properties, immunity optimization and protection against biotic and abiotic stresses [1]
The importance of Se and I for human health and the close relationship of their metabolism stimulate the development of agrochemical joint biofortification of plants with these elements [1]
Among Se chemical forms used for plant biofortification, sodium selenate (Se+6 ) was chosen because more mobile and less toxic compared to selenite form (Se+4 )
Summary
Among the micro-elements which are essential for human beings and beneficial for plants, selenium (Se) and iodine (I) have special importance, mainly for their participation in the growth and development of all living beings, antioxidant properties, immunity optimization and protection against biotic and abiotic stresses [1]. Iodine (I) and Se deficiency are common in many worldwide areas, increasing the risk of viral (including COVID-19), oncological and cardiovascular diseases, negatively affecting fertility and restricting cognitive abilities [2,3,4]. Both Se and I are components of 3-iodothyronine deiodinases, taking an active part in thyroid hormones production and functioning [2,5,6]. Low doses of Se fertilizers in a national Finnish experiment [8]
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