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.

To evaluate if the combined foliar application of nitrogen (N) and zinc (Zn) in broccoli improves the efficiency of the single Zn biofortification, five treatments were tested: (i) control; (ii) one Zn application at the beginning of flowering (0.5M1); (iii) combined 0.5M1 with N application (0.5M1N); (iv) two Zn applications, one at the beginning of the flowering and other after two weeks (0.25 + 0.25) and (v) combined 0.25 + 0.25 with N (0.25N + 0.25N). The Parthenon cultivar showed a good concentration of Ca, Fe, Mg, and Zn, with good bioavailability and glucosinolates, mainly in the florets, and high antioxidant activity and total phenols, mainly in the leaves, showing their potential not only as regards to human consumption, but also for the use of their by-products. All the studied treatments increased floret growth (19%), antioxidant capacity and total phenol content, not affecting Ca, Fe, and Mg concentrations. Glucosinolate content was mostly independent from the studied treatments, decreasing slightly in terms of glucoiberin and the Zn concentration in the florets increased in >50 mg Zn kg−1 in the split treatments and ~40 mg Zn kg−1 when the application was unique, with excellent bioavailability, measured as PA:Zn ratio. Therefore, 0.25 + 0.25 and 0.25N + 0.25N applications have been confirmed as the applications that improve more both growth and accumulation of Zn and biocompounds in broccoli.

Millions of people have inadequate Se and Zn intakes, but agronomic biofortification could prevent this. This study evaluated the effect of the combined Zn and Se biofortification on the quality parameters of grain, and on the composition of minerals (Zn, Se, Mg, Ca and Fe) and their availability in bread-making wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) products, white flour, wholemeal bread and white bread were evaluated. The studied treatments were soil Zn (no Zn, and 50 kg Zn ha−1) and foliar applications (0, 10 g Se ha−1, 8 kg Zn ha−1, and 10 g Se ha−1 + 8 kg Zn ha−1) and were tested in a two-year field experiment (2017–2018, 2018–2019). The foliar combined biofortification increased the concentration of both minerals in white flour, wholemeal bread and white bread by about 33%, 24% and 51%, respectively for Zn, and 3.3-fold, 3.4-fold and 2.7-fold for Se, showing a synergistic effect on Se concentration with the Se and Zn combination. While the loss of Zn and Se during the milling process was41% and 18%, respectively, baking caused a loss of 15% and 19%, respectively, for wholemeal bread, and up to 61% and 29% for Zn and Se for white bread. Hence, although the consumption of wholemeal bread instead of white bread may enhance Zn and Se intake more than biofortification, until consumption habits change, the biofortification of wheat can help to mitigate inadequate Zn and Se intakes in the general population.

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.), foliar Se (as NaSeO4) and soil and foliar Zn applications (as ZnSO4·7H2O) were tested individually and in all combinations. A 2-year field experiment was established in southern Spain under semiarid 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, nil Zn) as a subplot factor, and foliar application (nil, 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, 1.2- and 4.1-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 26%. 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.