Biofortification in Crop Plants: The Role of Selenium and Other Micronutrients

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (12 January 2024) | Viewed by 3305

Special Issue Editors

Federal Scientific Center of Vegetable Production, Odintsovo District, Vniissok, Selectsionnaya 14, 143072 Moscow, Russia
Interests: vegetable crops; biofortification; selenium; iodine; microorganism inoculation; soil chemical analyses; plant chemical analyses; functional food; quality indicators; cholophylls; antioxidants; ascorbic acid; carotenoids; polyphenols; flavonoids; antocyanyns; mineral element composition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Laboratory of Natural Antioxidants, Institute of Living Systems, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia
Interests: biofortification; selenium; plant nutrition; plant chemical analyses; functional food; biological active compounds; antioxidants; polyphenols; flavonoids; agri-food waste; extraction processes
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Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80138 Naples, Italy
Interests: plant biology; horticulture; fruit science; fruit quality; plant physiology; hydroponics; antioxidants; postharvest physiology; vegetable production; horticulture research; postharvest biology; fruit crops production processing; postharvest handling; postharvest technology; pomology; horticulture engineering; nutrients; segars
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Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Biotechnology and Horticulture, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 29-Listopada 54, 31-425 Krakow, Poland
Interests: plant eco-physiology; biotic and abiotic stresses; biofortification and biostimulation of horticultural crops and cultivated mushrooms; functional food
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Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
Interests: selenium; plant nutrition; secondary plant metabolism; antioxidants; medicinal plants; functional food; microalgae; crop systems; quality indicators
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The synchronous increase in crop yield and product quality is considered one of the main goals of modern agriculture. Among the different technological approaches available, genetic modifications, the optimization of nutrition and plant growth, and plant biofortification with different microelements all provide significant prospects to enhance yield and obtain functional food with a high content of biologically active compounds and essential nutrients, which are highly valuable in medicine and pharmacology. Despite the intensive investigations in this area, there remain many unsolved questions regarding: the efficiency improvement of biofortification methods, species and varietal differences in plant response to selenium and other micronutrient supplies; the relationship between Se (as well as other micronutrients) and other elements; and the intensity of biologically active compounds' synthesis. Moreover, new aspects of the efficiency of different chemical forms of elements supplied (inorganic, organic or nano-forms) on the yield, biofortification and quality parameters of the products are extremely important. The effect of stress factors on the efficiency of biofortification is of special interest.

The proposed Special Issue aims to combine new investigations not only related to selenium, but also to iodine, zinc and other micronutrients.

The Special Issue on “Biofortification in crop plants: the role of selenium and other micronutrients” intends to gather the most prominent researchers in selenium and other micronutrients biofortification via publication of the most prominent research studies and reviews. We look forward to receiving your manuscripts and improving the significance of the world's biofortification community in modern agriculture, nutritionology and health care.

Dr. Nadezhda A. Golubkina
Dr. Liubov Skrypnik
Prof. Dr. Gianluca Caruso
Prof. Dr. Agnieszka Sękara
Dr. Alessio Vincenzo Tallarita
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • selenium
  • micronutrients
  • biofortification methods
  • yield and quality
  • chemical forms
  • stress
  • the interaction between selenium and other elements and nutrients

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1665 KiB  
Article
Effects of High Doses of Selenate, Selenite and Nano-Selenium on Biometrical Characteristics, Yield and Biofortification Levels of Vicia faba L. Cultivars
by Anna Sindireva, Nadezhda Golubkina, Helene Bezuglova, Mikhail Fedotov, Andrey Alpatov, Erdene Erdenotsogt, Agnieszka Sękara, Otilia Cristina Murariu and Gianluca Caruso
Plants 2023, 12(15), 2847; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12152847 - 01 Aug 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1205
Abstract
Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) has spread worldwide as an excellent source of proteins. To evaluate the efficiency of Se biofortification, four cultivars of V. faba (Belorussian, Russian Black, Hangdown Grünkernig, and Dreifach Weiβe) were foliar treated with 1.27 mM solutions of [...] Read more.
Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) has spread worldwide as an excellent source of proteins. To evaluate the efficiency of Se biofortification, four cultivars of V. faba (Belorussian, Russian Black, Hangdown Grünkernig, and Dreifach Weiβe) were foliar treated with 1.27 mM solutions of nano-Se, sodium selenate, and sodium selenite. Yield, protein, and Se contents were greatly affected by genetic factors and chemical form of Se. Selenium biofortification levels were negatively correlated with Se concentration in control plants and increased according to the following sequence: nano-Se < sodium selenite < sodium selenate. Contrary to selenate and selenite, nano-Se showed a growth-stimulating effect, improving yield, seed weight, and pod number. Pod thickness decreased significantly as a result of nano-Se supply and increased by 1.5–2.3 times under selenate and selenite supply. The highest Se concentrations were recorded in the seeds of Se-fortified cv. Belorussian and the lowest one in those of Se-treated Hangdown Grünkernig. Protein accumulation was varietal dependent and decreased upon 1.27 mM selenate and selenite treatment in the cvs. Hangdown Grünkernig and Dreifach Weiβe. The results indicate the high prospects of nano-Se supply for the production of faba bean seeds with high levels of Se. Full article
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20 pages, 2067 KiB  
Article
Effect of Sodium Selenate and Selenocystine on Savoy Cabbage Yield, Morphological and Biochemical Characteristics under Chlorella Supply
by Marina Antoshkina, Nadezhda Golubkina, Pavel Poluboyarinov, Liubov Skrypnik, Agnieszka Sekara, Alessio Tallarita and Gianluca Caruso
Plants 2023, 12(5), 1020; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12051020 - 23 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1477
Abstract
Biofortification of Brassica oleracea with selenium (Se) is highly valuable both for human Se status optimization and functional food production with direct anti-carcinogenic activity. To assess the effects of organic and inorganic Se supply for biofortifying Brassica representatives, foliar applications of sodium selenate [...] Read more.
Biofortification of Brassica oleracea with selenium (Se) is highly valuable both for human Se status optimization and functional food production with direct anti-carcinogenic activity. To assess the effects of organic and inorganic Se supply for biofortifying Brassica representatives, foliar applications of sodium selenate and selenocystine (SeCys2) were performed on Savoy cabbage treated with the growth stimulator microalgae Chlorella. Compared to sodium selenate, SeCys2 exerted a stronger growth stimulation of heads (1.3 against 1.14 times) and an increase of leaf concentration of chlorophyll (1.56 against 1.2 times) and ascorbic acid (1.37 against 1.27 times). Head density was reduced by 1.22 times by foliar application of sodium selenate and by 1.58 times by SeCys2. Despite the greater growth stimulation effect of SeCys2, its application resulted in lower biofortification levels (2.9 times) compared to sodium selenate (11.6 times). Se concentration decreased according to the following sequence: leaves > roots > head. The antioxidant activity (AOA) was higher in water extracts compared to the ethanol ones in the heads, but the opposite trend was recorded in the leaves. Chlorella supply significantly increased the efficiency of biofortification with sodium selenate (by 1.57 times) but had no effect in the case of SeCys2 application. Positive correlations were found between leaf and head weight (r = 0.621); head weight and Se content under selenate supply (r = 0.897–0.954); leaf ascorbic acid and total yield (r = 0.559), and chlorophyll (r = +0.83–0.89). Significant varietal differences were recorded for all the parameters examined. The broad comparison performed between the effects of selenate and SeCys2 showed significant genetic differences as well as important peculiarities connected with the Se chemical form and its complex interaction with Chlorella treatment. Full article
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