Increasing Se concentration in maize grain with soil- or foliar-applied selenite.pdf

I s J a b N a A R R A K M S S F G R 1 b ( c c c o e e m n o a S 0 hField Crops Research 150 (2013) 83–90 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Field Crops Research jou rn al hom epage: www.elsev ier .com/ locate / fc r ncreasing Se concentration in maize grain with soil- or foliar-applied elenite on the Loess Plateau in China ianwei Wanga,b, Zhaohui Wanga,b,?, Hui Maoa, Hubing Zhaoa, Donglin Huanga State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas (Northwest AF University), Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture (College of Natural Resources and Environment, orthwest AF University), Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China r t i c l e i n f o rticle history: eceived 10 April 2013 eceived in revised form 20 June 2013 ccepted 21 June 2013 eywords: aize e oil application oliar application rain ecovery a b s t r a c t Selenium (Se) is an essential mineral nutrient for animal and human growth. Deficiency in this element is a worldwide nutrition problem. Thus, this study determined the potential of increasing Se content in maize grain by using various Se fertiliser application techniques to improve the nutritional status of local residents. Field experiments were conducted on the Loess Plateau for two growing seasons to investigate the effects of different Se fertiliser application methods and application rates on the Se content in maize grain as well as the Se recovery, yield and status of other nutrients in maize grain under rain-fed conditions. Results show that soil and foliar Se applications exhibited no significant effects on maize biomass and grain yield as well as N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn contents in maize grain. However, both foliar and soil Se applications significantly improved the Se content