Effects of foliar selenium spraying on the growth and selenium content and morphology of rice

Selenium (Se), an essential micronutrient for both plants and humans, plays critical roles in crop metabolism and human physiological functions. However, optimizing Se biofortification strategies to enhance grain Se accumulation while mitigating potential agronomic trade-offs remains a significant c...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wenxia Pei, Mengya Dai, Sheng Shi, Yuan Zhang, Daxia Wu, Cece Qiao, Yafei Sun, Jianfei Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Plant Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1587159/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850144225820147712
author Wenxia Pei
Mengya Dai
Sheng Shi
Yuan Zhang
Daxia Wu
Cece Qiao
Yafei Sun
Jianfei Wang
author_facet Wenxia Pei
Mengya Dai
Sheng Shi
Yuan Zhang
Daxia Wu
Cece Qiao
Yafei Sun
Jianfei Wang
author_sort Wenxia Pei
collection DOAJ
description Selenium (Se), an essential micronutrient for both plants and humans, plays critical roles in crop metabolism and human physiological functions. However, optimizing Se biofortification strategies to enhance grain Se accumulation while mitigating potential agronomic trade-offs remains a significant challenge. In this study, foliar applications of sodium selenite at concentrations of 0.0075 kg/hm² (FX01) and 0.015 kg/hm² (FX02) were administered during the full heading stage of rice (Oryza sativa L.) to systematically investigate Se uptake, interorgan translocation, and organic Se speciation in grains. Results demonstrated that foliar Se application significantly increased total Se contents and accumulation across rice tissues, with FX02 exhibiting superior enhancement compared to FX01. Specifically, total Se and organic Se contents in rice grains of FX02 were 2.76- and 2.77-fold compared to FX01, respectively. Translocation dynamics revealed that foliar treatment reduced Se transfer rates from leaves to husks and stems, while FX02 markedly improved phloem-mediated Se remobilization from leaves to grains. The Se translocation factor (TF) from leaves to grains increased to 0.71 under FX02, compared to 0.44 in FX01 and 0.60 in CK, indicating enhanced efficiency of Se redistribution under FX02. Spatial partitioning analysis further confirmed reduced Se retention in stems and husks alongside elevated accumulation in leaves under foliar treatments. Notably, Se accumulation in rice grains reached 24% under FX02, significantly higher than CK (15%) and FX01 (14%). Foliar Se application also increased the total organic Se and different organic Se forms contents in grains and altered its composition by reducing the proportion of RNA-bound Se. Temporal analysis revealed that total Se concentrations in rice tissues rose sharply within the first 14 days post-application, followed by a decline in vegetative tissues but a continued increase in grains after 31 days. In addition, grain Se enrichment showed no significant correlation with yield-related agronomic parameters. This study elucidates the dynamic transport-transformation mechanisms of foliar-applied Se in rice, providing a theoretical framework for designing precision Se biofortification strategies that synergistically improve grain nutritional quality and field adaptability.
format Article
id doaj-art-4ffdbff3ada44acda69e1ef48dc9ff2e
institution OA Journals
issn 1664-462X
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Plant Science
spelling doaj-art-4ffdbff3ada44acda69e1ef48dc9ff2e2025-08-20T02:28:27ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2025-04-011610.3389/fpls.2025.15871591587159Effects of foliar selenium spraying on the growth and selenium content and morphology of riceWenxia Pei0Mengya Dai1Sheng Shi2Yuan Zhang3Daxia Wu4Cece Qiao5Yafei Sun6Jianfei Wang7College of Resource and Environment, Anhui Science and Technology University, Fengyang, ChinaCollege of Resource and Environment, Anhui Science and Technology University, Fengyang, ChinaCollege of Resource and Environment, Anhui Science and Technology University, Fengyang, ChinaCollege of Resource and Environment, Anhui Science and Technology University, Fengyang, ChinaCollege of Resource and Environment, Anhui Science and Technology University, Fengyang, ChinaCollege of Resource and Environment, Anhui Science and Technology University, Fengyang, ChinaECO−Environment Protection Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, ChinaCollege of Resource and Environment, Anhui Science and Technology University, Fengyang, ChinaSelenium (Se), an essential micronutrient for both plants and humans, plays critical roles in crop metabolism and human physiological functions. However, optimizing Se biofortification strategies to enhance grain Se accumulation while mitigating potential agronomic trade-offs remains a significant challenge. In this study, foliar applications of sodium selenite at concentrations of 0.0075 kg/hm² (FX01) and 0.015 kg/hm² (FX02) were administered during the full heading stage of rice (Oryza sativa L.) to systematically investigate Se uptake, interorgan translocation, and organic Se speciation in grains. Results demonstrated that foliar Se application significantly increased total Se contents and accumulation across rice tissues, with FX02 exhibiting superior enhancement compared to FX01. Specifically, total Se and organic Se contents in rice grains of FX02 were 2.76- and 2.77-fold compared to FX01, respectively. Translocation dynamics revealed that foliar treatment reduced Se transfer rates from leaves to husks and stems, while FX02 markedly improved phloem-mediated Se remobilization from leaves to grains. The Se translocation factor (TF) from leaves to grains increased to 0.71 under FX02, compared to 0.44 in FX01 and 0.60 in CK, indicating enhanced efficiency of Se redistribution under FX02. Spatial partitioning analysis further confirmed reduced Se retention in stems and husks alongside elevated accumulation in leaves under foliar treatments. Notably, Se accumulation in rice grains reached 24% under FX02, significantly higher than CK (15%) and FX01 (14%). Foliar Se application also increased the total organic Se and different organic Se forms contents in grains and altered its composition by reducing the proportion of RNA-bound Se. Temporal analysis revealed that total Se concentrations in rice tissues rose sharply within the first 14 days post-application, followed by a decline in vegetative tissues but a continued increase in grains after 31 days. In addition, grain Se enrichment showed no significant correlation with yield-related agronomic parameters. This study elucidates the dynamic transport-transformation mechanisms of foliar-applied Se in rice, providing a theoretical framework for designing precision Se biofortification strategies that synergistically improve grain nutritional quality and field adaptability.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1587159/fullseleniumriceselenium distributionorganic seagronomic traits
spellingShingle Wenxia Pei
Mengya Dai
Sheng Shi
Yuan Zhang
Daxia Wu
Cece Qiao
Yafei Sun
Jianfei Wang
Effects of foliar selenium spraying on the growth and selenium content and morphology of rice
Frontiers in Plant Science
selenium
rice
selenium distribution
organic se
agronomic traits
title Effects of foliar selenium spraying on the growth and selenium content and morphology of rice
title_full Effects of foliar selenium spraying on the growth and selenium content and morphology of rice
title_fullStr Effects of foliar selenium spraying on the growth and selenium content and morphology of rice
title_full_unstemmed Effects of foliar selenium spraying on the growth and selenium content and morphology of rice
title_short Effects of foliar selenium spraying on the growth and selenium content and morphology of rice
title_sort effects of foliar selenium spraying on the growth and selenium content and morphology of rice
topic selenium
rice
selenium distribution
organic se
agronomic traits
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1587159/full
work_keys_str_mv AT wenxiapei effectsoffoliarseleniumsprayingonthegrowthandseleniumcontentandmorphologyofrice
AT mengyadai effectsoffoliarseleniumsprayingonthegrowthandseleniumcontentandmorphologyofrice
AT shengshi effectsoffoliarseleniumsprayingonthegrowthandseleniumcontentandmorphologyofrice
AT yuanzhang effectsoffoliarseleniumsprayingonthegrowthandseleniumcontentandmorphologyofrice
AT daxiawu effectsoffoliarseleniumsprayingonthegrowthandseleniumcontentandmorphologyofrice
AT ceceqiao effectsoffoliarseleniumsprayingonthegrowthandseleniumcontentandmorphologyofrice
AT yafeisun effectsoffoliarseleniumsprayingonthegrowthandseleniumcontentandmorphologyofrice
AT jianfeiwang effectsoffoliarseleniumsprayingonthegrowthandseleniumcontentandmorphologyofrice