Selenium species transforming along soil–plant continuum and their beneficial roles for horticultural crops

Summary

This narrative review synthesises current understanding of selenium biogeochemical cycling in agricultural soils, emphasising the role of microorganisms and plant–soil interactions in determining selenium availability. The authors highlight that whilst reduction and methylation processes decrease selenium availability, microbial oxidation—though less frequent—offers underutilised potential for enhancing plant uptake in selenium-deficient soils. The paper concludes that understanding selenium transformations along the soil–plant continuum is essential for optimising horticultural productivity and human nutritional status.

UK applicability

Selenium deficiency in UK soils is well-established, making insights into microbial-mediated selenium oxidation and bioavailability enhancement potentially relevant to UK horticulture and food security. However, the review does not specify geographic scope, so direct applicability to UK soil conditions, climate or regulatory context remains unclear without consulting the full paper.

Key measures

Selenium bioavailability; rates of selenium reduction, methylation, oxidation and desorption processes; selenium uptake by horticultural crops; crop growth metrics; photosynthetic traits; sugar and amino acid contents; fungal disease resistance; abiotic stress tolerance

Outcomes reported

The paper synthesises research on how selenium species transform along the soil–plant continuum, driven by microbial processes and rhizosphere interactions. It reports on the mechanisms affecting selenium availability to plants and the beneficial roles of selenium in improving crop growth, quality, disease resistance and stress tolerance.

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