Biofortification with Selenium: Enhancing the Resilience and Nutritional Value of Plants under Changing Climate Conditions
Abstract
Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element in animals and humans, usually acquired via nutrition and thus often dependent on the Se content of the soil from where the food crops originate. The uneven distribution of Se in soils may therefore result in regional Se deficiencies, often further exacerbated due to climate change and its subsequent effects on Se speciation (i.e., the chemical forms in which Se occurs) and the element's mobility. In recent years, biofortification has emerged as a promising approach to address this issue. Although plants do not require Se per se, an increased Se content of plants may improve their yields, antioxidant defences, and tolerance to various -climate (change) relatedstresses such as drought, salinity, and oxidative stress at low concentrations. So far, selenite (SeO3 2-) and selenate (SeO4 2-) are the most commonly employed Se species in agriculture, often via foliar and soil applications, and due to their excellent solubility in water are subject to leaching or other weather-related limitations. Alternative Se compounds, such as Se nanoparticles (SeNPs) and selenium sulfide (SeS2) present promising new opportunities for slow and controlled Se release in soil, therefore providing a path to simultaneously enhance plant growth, crop resilience, and the reliable supply of sufficient dietary selenium to human populations worldwide.
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BibTeX
@article{bohm2026biofortification,
title = {{Biofortification with Selenium: Enhancing the Resilience and Nutritional Value of Plants under Changing Climate Conditions}},
author = {Kevin Böhm and Shahrzad Safinazlou and Jean-Philippe Reichheld and Muhammad Jawad Nasim and Claus Jacob},
journal = {Sci},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.3390/sci8080196},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05769520v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Biofortification with Selenium: Enhancing the Resilience and Nutritional Value of Plants under Changing Climate Conditions
AU - Kevin Böhm
AU - Shahrzad Safinazlou
AU - Jean-Philippe Reichheld
AU - Muhammad Jawad Nasim
AU - Claus Jacob
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/06
JO - Sci
DO - 10.3390/sci8080196
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05769520v1
AB - Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element in animals and humans, usually acquired via nutrition and thus often dependent on the Se content of the soil from where the food crops originate. The uneven distribution of Se in soils may therefore result in regional Se deficiencies, often further exacerbated due to climate change and its subsequent effects on Se speciation (i.e., the chemical forms in which Se occurs) and the element's mobility. In recent years, biofortification has emerged as a promising approach to address this issue. Although plants do not require Se per se, an increased Se content of plants may improve their yields, antioxidant defences, and tolerance to various -climate (change) relatedstresses such as drought, salinity, and oxidative stress at low concentrations. So far, selenite (SeO3 2-) and selenate (SeO4 2-) are the most commonly employed Se species in agriculture, often via foliar and soil applications, and due to their excellent solubility in water are subject to leaching or other weather-related limitations. Alternative Se compounds, such as Se nanoparticles (SeNPs) and selenium sulfide (SeS2) present promising new opportunities for slow and controlled Se release in soil, therefore providing a path to simultaneously enhance plant growth, crop resilience, and the reliable supply of sufficient dietary selenium to human populations worldwide.
SN - 2413-4155
ER -