Abstract
Selenium (Se) is an important micronutrient for living organisms, since it is involved in several physiological and metabolic processes. Biofortification with Se increases the nutritional and qualitative values of foods in Se-deficient regions and increases tolerance to oxidative stress in olive trees. Many studies have shown that Se, in addition to improving the qualitative and nutritional properties of EVO oil, also improves the plant’s response to abiotic stress. This study addressed this issue by monitoring the effects of Se on cytosolic Ca2+ and on the germination of olive pollen grains in oxidative stress. The olive trees subjected to treatment with Na-selenate in the field produced pollen with a Se content 6–8 times higher than the controls, even after 20 months from the treatment. Moreover, part of the micronutrient was organic in selenium methionine. The higher selenium content did not produce toxic effects in the pollen, rather it antagonized the undesirable effects of oxidative stress in the parameters under study. The persistence of the beneficial effects of selenium observed over time in pollens, in addition to bringing out an undisputed adaptability of olive trees to the micronutrient, suggested the opportunity to reduce the number of treatments in the field.
Highlights
Selenium (Se) is an essential microelement normally present in humans and its endogenous levels fluctuate among populations of different geographic areas and are influenced by environmental factors [1,2]
Pollen grains collected after 8 and 20 months from untreated (C8, C20) and Se-fertilized (T8, T20) olive trees were analyzed by scanning field emission electron microscopy (SEM)
Oxidative stress was induced in vitro with H2O2 in olive pollen and the effects were tested in cytosolic Ca2+ pollen
Summary
Selenium (Se) is an essential microelement normally present in humans and its endogenous levels fluctuate among populations of different geographic areas and are influenced by environmental factors [1,2]. ROS become toxic at high concentrations, induce oxidative stress and deregulate molecular signals including cytosolic Ca2+ [20,21,22,23,24]. The objective of this work is to evaluate the half-life of selenium in olive trees and the persistence of the beneficial effects in oxidative stress in order to reduce the number of treatments in the field with Na-selenate. This objective was verified by monitoring the fluctuations of cytosolic Ca2+ and the germination rate of olive pollen in oxidative stress
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.