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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #373690
Research Project: Genetics, Epigenetics, Genomics, and Biotechnology for Fruit and Vegetable Quality

Location: Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research

Title: Effects of selenium treatment on sulfur nutrition and metabolism

Author
item SANTIAGO, FRANKLIN - Cornell University
item TIAN, MING - Cornell University
item BOLDRIN, PAULO - Cornell University
item Li, Li

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/6/2019
Publication Date: 10/8/2019
Citation: Santiago, F., Tian, M., Boldrin, P., Li, L. 2019. Effects of selenium treatment on sulfur nutrition and metabolism. In: Selenium research for environment and human health: Perspectives, Technologies, and Advancements. 1st Edition. CRC Press. p. 47-48.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient and has multiple health benefits to humans. Selenium biofortification in crops not only helps combat Se deficiency problems, but also can provide bioactive Se compounds in some cases to reduce the risk of cancer. Sulfur is an essential nutrient for plants and has diverse functions related to plant growth and development. Selenium as a sulfur analogue shares the sulfur uptake, translocation and assimilation pathways in plants. Thus, it is expected that Se fertilization for biofortification affect sulfur nutrition and metabolites in plants. While antagonistic effects on sulfur levels are often noticed when Se is supplied at high dosages, interestingly, Se application at low concentrations enhances sulfur nutrition and metabolism in crops. We evaluated the effects of Se treatments on sulfur nutrition and metabolites in a number of plant species and examined the basis underlying Se-induced sulfur accumulation in plants. Moreover, we provided evidence for the protective role of sulfur in reducing Se toxicity in plants as Se can be toxic to plants even at low dosages.