Effects of selenium biofortification on garlic (Allium sativum L.) growth and other elemental nutrients

Resumo

Selenium uptake and accumulation was studied during garlic growth and the effects of Se-fortification were evaluated. Four doses of Se were applied: 0, 5, 10 and 15 kg Se ha^-1, with a random plot design and 3 replicates on garlic clone “Rubi INTA”. Three harvests were made in September, October and December of 2014. After each harvest, the leaves, bulbs and roots of garlic samples resulting from each treatment were separated and conditioned (peeled and chopped), lyophilized, and finally acid-digested prior to Se, Mg, Zn, Mn, Cu, Fe, P and S determination by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results confirmed that Se accumulation was proportional to the magnitude of Se doses and did not affect significantly the garlic growth. Moreover, the Se distribution among the different organs was related to the growth cycle of the garlic plant. The fortification of garlic with Se caused significant changes in the accumulation and distribution of different nutrients such as Zn, Mg, Mn, Cu; Fe; P and S. Garlic can be considered an important source of Se to increase the Se intake in the human diet but it is important to consider the doses and application time of Se.