Selenium Enrichment of Horticultural Crops

Abstract

The ability of some crops to accumulate selenium (Se) is crucial for human nutrition and health. Selenium has been identified as a cofactor of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase, which is a catalyzer in the reduction of peroxides that can damage cells and tissues, and can act as an antioxidant. Plants are the first link in the food chain, which ends with humans. Increasing the Se quantity in plant products, including leafy and fruity vegetables, and fruit crops, without exceeding the toxic threshold, is thus a good way to increase animal and human Se intake, with positive effects on long-term health. In many Se-enriched plants, most Se is in its major organic form. Given that this form is more available to humans and more efficient in increasing the selenium content than inorganic forms, the consumption of Se-enriched plants appears to be beneficial. An antioxidant effect of Se has been detected in Se-enriched vegetables and fruit crops due to an improved antioxidative status and to a reduced biosynthesis of ethylene, which is the hormone with a primary role in plant senescence and fruit ripening. This thus highlights the possible positive effect of Se in preserving a longer shelf-life and longer-lasting quality.

Effect of Selenium on the Responses Induced by Heat Stress in Plant Cell Cultures

“…At proper concentrations, Se promotes growth, delays plant senescence, and precocious fruit ripening induced by different abiotic stresses, HS included [ 13 ]. Leaf and fruit senescence are processes involving programmed cell death, and when not precisely regulated can lead to important decreases in productivity in several horticultural species.…”

“…Leaf and fruit senescence are processes involving programmed cell death, and when not precisely regulated can lead to important decreases in productivity in several horticultural species. The protective effect of Se against inappropriate senescence could be due to its reported ability to reduce respiratory intensity and ethylene production in different plant species [ 13 ]. Interestingly, the inhibitor of ethylene production Co 2+ prevents cell death and cytoplasmic shrinkage induced by HS in tobacco cell cultures [ 6 ].…”

“…In fact, Se acts as an antioxidant in different plant species under biotic and abiotic stresses. This protective effect of Se depends on the induced higher activity of several antioxidant enzymes and on the increased content of some antioxidant compounds (glutathione and flavonoids) [ 11 , 13 ].…”

“…Several attempts were made in order to increase Se content in plants. Changes in the enzymes associated with sulphur metabolism have been widely used to vary Se levels in plants [ 13 ]. Recent researches use plant-microbome interactions to increase biofortification with Se and cultivate accumulating plants on seleniferous soils, thus ameliorating soil characteristics for further cultivation.…”

Celebrating Two Centuries of Research in Selenium Chemistry: State of the Art and New Prospective

“…Finally, the review articles cover a broad area of scientific interests: synthesis , with a collection of recent methods for performing electrophilic selenium catalyzed functionalization of alkenes in the presence of N-F reagents as oxidants proposed by Zhao et al with a critical analysis of the still unexplored aspects of this kind of chemistry [ 16 ]; nutrition , with an overview of the importance of selenium in food and the need to supplement carefully and cautiously proposed by Marek Kieliszek [ 17 ]; and agriculture , with a description of the role of selenium enrichment of horticultural crops as a strategy to preserve a longer shelf-life and longer-lasting properties reported by Pezzarosa et al [ 18 ].…”