Selenium Biofortification via Foliar Fertilization: Evaluating New Sources and Their Impact on Yield and Nutritional Quality of Grain Sorghum Grown in Tropical Soils

Selenium Biofortification via Foliar Fertilization: Evaluating New Sources and Their Impact on Yield and Nutritional Quality of Grain Sorghum Grown in Tropical Soils | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Selenium Biofortification via Foliar Fertilization: Evaluating New Sources and Their Impact on Yield and Nutritional Quality of Grain Sorghum Grown in Tropical Soils Patriciani Estela Cipriano, Fábio Aurélio Dias Martins, Deivisson Ferreira da Silva, and 9 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8935337/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 6 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background and Aims : Sorghum is vital for more than 500 million people worldwide and serves as an essential component of animal feed, particularly in Se-deficient regions. Foliar Se application represents an efficient and environmentally safer strategy compared to traditional soil fertilization with Se salts. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of novel Se sources on yield and nutritional quality across eight sorghum genotypes cultivated in tropical soils. Methods: The experimental design comprised foliar Se applications at 10 g ha⁻¹ using sodium selenate, potassium hydroxy-selenide, and acetylselenide, in addition to a control treatment (without Se), conducted in two contrasting field environments (Lavras and Lambari, Brazil). Results: The results revealed that Se fertilization significantly enhanced Se accumulation in both grains and shoots, with sodium selenate and acetylselenide showing the highest efficiency. The response to Se was genotype and field environments-dependent, with Nugrain430, Enforcer, and BM737 exhibiting superior performance in Se accumulation and grain yield. Selenium treatments also influenced macronutrient and micronutrient contents. Principal component analysis highlighted the strong interaction among Se sources, genotypes, and field environments, which affected both productivity and mineral composition. Conclusion: Overall, foliar Se fertilization proved to be a promising biofortification strategy, improving the nutritional quality of sorghum grains without compromising yield. The use of sodium selenate and acetylselenide, in particular, enhanced mineral uptake and protein content, demonstrating their potential for sustainable agriculture and nutritional security in Se-deficient regions. selenate selenide food security food composition tropical agriculture Full Text Supplementary Files SupplementaryMaterial.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Major revisions 18 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 02 Mar, 2026 Editor invited by journal 02 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 02 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 26 Feb, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8935337","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":599145030,"identity":"4fe4cb09-2150-44a8-be03-9aa019d5ad30","order_by":0,"name":"Patriciani Estela Cipriano","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABEklEQVRIie2PMUvDQBTHXzhoF+U2eeKQr3Ch0KTQ0q9yIeDsmCFIQXBSukb8CC6BQMDtwkGnhqwRl0Jm4aBLJvESQQSTuAreb/rz+P947wEYDH8VDghAuugB7SZXY33yTRE6nG9ahf2ifNEqTLRpRHGn5U4dIs92p0QeVYj2rHzy1YGBTc9Er7K4C0jMd+g830wuUezRyaq3FPVhzsMj71WYCAj4G7QSeTKH/BatrCqSVuHsdUAp605ZJ5IeVf6O6zQu0mZUqT63+HoLYN4Gep+NblnE9Qz0L0EiJ3Pc6xBXp5nHGQ7+4lK/tproepWUslZhtFxtt0X60oRLm14MHPZzhF0Te+sDChWDbYPBYPiffABMmGCvd69j7wAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5223-2095","institution":"Universidade Federal de Lavras","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Patriciani","middleName":"Estela","lastName":"Cipriano","suffix":""},{"id":599145031,"identity":"b03c949c-41ca-41c8-8a25-8c04d9bb7a69","order_by":1,"name":"Fábio Aurélio Dias Martins","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Fábio","middleName":"Aurélio Dias","lastName":"Martins","suffix":""},{"id":599145032,"identity":"ead32f1c-d89d-4c56-ac2c-ddd46024ec91","order_by":2,"name":"Deivisson Ferreira da Silva","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Deivisson","middleName":"Ferreira da","lastName":"Silva","suffix":""},{"id":599145033,"identity":"bb5018af-e757-4140-b062-dab795801938","order_by":3,"name":"Cynthia de Oliveira","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Cynthia","middleName":"","lastName":"de Oliveira","suffix":""},{"id":599145034,"identity":"1cf3aceb-417e-4865-835c-42f16ade9510","order_by":4,"name":"Alexandre Boari de Lima","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alexandre","middleName":"Boari","lastName":"de Lima","suffix":""},{"id":599145035,"identity":"9ddb86df-ed82-49f3-bbb9-64ab1ba5ff6a","order_by":5,"name":"Gizele Celante","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Gizele","middleName":"","lastName":"Celante","suffix":""},{"id":599145036,"identity":"6c8dae91-3c5d-4339-9391-61e2d42aeb16","order_by":6,"name":"Marcos Vinicius L. 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Foliar Se application represents an efficient and environmentally safer strategy compared to traditional soil fertilization with Se salts. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of novel Se sources on yield and nutritional quality across eight sorghum genotypes cultivated in tropical soils.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods: \u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe experimental design comprised foliar Se applications at 10 g ha⁻¹ using sodium selenate, potassium hydroxy-selenide, and acetylselenide, in addition to a control treatment (without Se), conducted in two contrasting field environments (Lavras and Lambari, Brazil).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e The results revealed that Se fertilization significantly enhanced Se accumulation in both grains and shoots, with sodium selenate and acetylselenide showing the highest efficiency. The response to Se was genotype and field environments-dependent, with Nugrain430, Enforcer, and BM737 exhibiting superior performance in Se accumulation and grain yield. Selenium treatments also influenced macronutrient and micronutrient contents. Principal component analysis highlighted the strong interaction among Se sources, genotypes, and field environments, which affected both productivity and mineral composition.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e Overall, foliar Se fertilization proved to be a promising biofortification strategy, improving the nutritional quality of sorghum grains without compromising yield. The use of sodium selenate and acetylselenide, in particular, enhanced mineral uptake and protein content, demonstrating their potential for sustainable agriculture and nutritional security in Se-deficient regions.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Selenium Biofortification via Foliar Fertilization: Evaluating New Sources and Their Impact on Yield and Nutritional Quality of Grain Sorghum Grown in Tropical Soils","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-03-05 18:41:08","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8935337/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Major revisions","date":"2026-05-18T19:55:08+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"","date":"2026-03-14T06:51:53+00:00","index":0,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-02T08:58:21+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"Plant and Soil","date":"2026-03-02T08:22:49+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-03-02T07:53:48+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Plant and Soil","date":"2026-02-26T14:56:24+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"plant-and-soil","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"plso","sideBox":"Learn more about [Plant and Soil](https://www.springer.com/journal/11104)","snPcode":"11104","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/11104/3","title":"Plant and Soil","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"a0840805-e24f-450d-b151-d708c29a5389","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 5th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"decision","content":"Major revisions","date":"2026-05-18T19:55:08+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"in-revision","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-18T23:55:21+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-03-05 18:41:08","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8935337","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8935337","identity":"rs-8935337","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}