Efficacy and Comparison of Different Strategies for Selenium Biofortification of Tomatoes

Summary

At appropriate concentrations, selenium (Se) is beneficial for humans. Tomato appears to be one of the best commodities for producing Se-biofortified fruit for dietary supplementation. To assess the efficacy of different enrichment protocols, a total of four on-plant and off-plant trials were conducted. Hydroponically grown tomato plants were sprayed with: (i) chemically synthesized Se nanoparticles (SeNPs) at 0, 1, and 1.5 mg Se L−1 at blooming; (ii) sodium selenate (Na2SeO4) or SeNPs solution at 0, 5, and 10 mg Se L−1 when the fruit entered the immature green stage. With regard to the off-plant trials, harvested mature green fruit were immersed in Na2SeO4 solution: (iii) at 0, 5, 10, and 20 mg Se L−1 for 15 s under a vacuum; (iv) at 0, 40, and 80 mg Se L−1 for 1 h. Spraying Na2SeO4 induc