This lysimeter study in Pakistan sprayed fodder maize with sodium selenate under normal and drought conditions. Under water deficit, selenium spray improved leaf water status, pigments and antioxidant enzymes, raised green fodder yield by 15% and increased shoot selenium by 36% compared with water-sprayed plants. The work concerns animal fodder, not human food.
Key numbers
- Foliar selenate concentration: 40 mg/L, applied twice before tasseling (Abstract).
- Soil total selenium in the lysimeters: 0.074 mg/kg (Methods, p. 2).
- Under water deficit, shoot selenium rose 36% and fodder yield 15% relative to control (Abstract).
- Absolute shoot selenium values are reported only in a figure (Fig. 5).
Methods (brief)
Maize was grown in 1 m lysimeter tanks at 100% and 60% field capacity. Shoot selenium was measured by ICP-OES after acid digestion, alongside water relations, pigments, antioxidant enzymes and proximate fodder quality.
Evidence fitness
Context for selenium enrichment of livestock feed and for selenium as a plant stress modulator. It does not support human exposure or toxicity statements.
Limitations
Single season and cultivar; shoot selenium only graphically reported; detection limits not stated.
Related evidence
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