Jazmín Montserrat Gaucin-Delgado¹, Cristian Oswaldo Solis-López², Pablo Preciado-Rangel³, Bernardo Espinosa-Palomeque⁴, Francisco Gerardo Veliz-Deras², Viridiana Contreras-Villarreal², Ricardo Israel Ramírez-Gottfried^5,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.94, No.12, pp. 3961-3973, 2025, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2025.072536 - 29 December 2025

Abstract Selenium (Se) deficiency is a global health problem affecting more than 500 million people; crop biofortification is a sustainable strategy for its mitigation. This study investigated the effect of the application of selenate nanoparticles (SeO₄²⁻) and the combination of selenate (SeO₄²⁻) and chitosan (CS) (forming a SeO₄²⁻-CS complex) on the antioxidant profile, growth, biomass, bioactive compounds, enzymes, and Se accumulation of wheat (Triticum spp.) sprouts. Fourteen treatments were applied using a factorial design combining seven concentrations and two formulations: SeO₄²⁻ and SeO₄²⁻-CS. It was identified that chitosan increased Se uptake efficiency by 30% versus conventional selenate. The optimal… More >

Nadezhda Golubkina^1,*, Viktor Kharchenko¹, Ekaterina Krainyuk², Lubov Riff², Vladimir Lapchenko³, Helene Lapchenko³, Anastasia Moldovan¹, Uliana Plotnoikova⁴, Otilia Cristina Murariu⁵, Gianluca Caruso⁶

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.94, No.12, pp. 4139-4153, 2025, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2025.072328 - 29 December 2025

Abstract Despite their remarkable content of biologically active compounds, highly valuable for human health, wild relatives of Umbelliferous plants show limited utilization. The aim of the present work was the evaluation of the antioxidant status of Anthriscus, Chaerophyllum, and Myrrhoides species gathered in different climatic zones (from Mediterranean to Arctic) and of their suitability to produce valuable functional food for optimizing the human Se status. Among the Crimean plants, A. sylvestris, C. bulbosis, and M. nososa showed the highest antioxidant status, while the lowest was recorded in A. cerefolium and A. caucalis, displaying a significant correlation between the antioxidant activity (AOA) and polyphenols… More >

Nadezhda Golubkina^1,*, Pavel Poluboyarinov², Lyubov Skrypnik³, Agnieszka Sękara⁴, Otilia Cristina Murariu⁵, Gianluca Caruso⁶

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.94, No.12, pp. 3861-3877, 2025, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2025.070988 - 29 December 2025

Abstract Circadian biorhythms are fundamental in plant adaptability and development. To reveal the effect of organic and inorganic forms of Se, foliar treatments of dandelion with 0.26 mM Se solutions were practiced in two contrasting day times: in the morning with the highest levels of leaf Se and polyphenol (TP) and the lowest dry matter, and in the evening with the opposite characteristics. Compared to the control, the morning Se supply demonstrated a higher increase of root biomass (1.27–1.37 times), Se (1.82–2.85 times), TP content (1.42–1.44 times), and antioxidant activity (AOA) (1.47–1.48 times) than the evening… More > Graphic Abstract

Sibel Day^*, Nilüfer Koçak-Şahin

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.8, pp. 2461-2471, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.029920 - 25 June 2023

Abstract Aromatic and medicinal plant species having small seeds have field emergence problems due to low nutrient supply. Therefore, Pimpinella anisum seeds were hydro and osmoprimed with 100 mM MgCl₂, CaCl₂, and ZnCl₂, for 2, 4, and 8 h each to compare their growth attributes during germination and seedling establishment stages. Nontreated seeds were used as control. Both hydro and osmo primed seeds were dried for 48 h before, they were sown in plastic trays in growth room conditions to see the impact of treatments on seedling emergence and growth. The maximum root length (12.90 cm), fresh weight (256.30… More >

Muhammad Zafar¹, Siraj Ahmed¹, Muhammad Kashif Munir¹, Nawal Zafar¹, Muhammad Saqib¹, Muhammad Aleem Sarwar², Saba Iqbal¹, Baber Ali³, Naveed Akhtar¹, Basharat Ali^4,*, Sadam Hussain^5,*, Muhammad Saeed⁶, Mohammad Khalid Al-Sadoon⁷, Aneela Gulnaz⁸

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.4, pp. 983-999, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.025813 - 06 January 2023

Abstract Deficiencies of essential vitamins, iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) affect over one-half of the world’s population. A significant progress has been made to control micronutrient deficiencies through supplementation, but new approaches are needed, especially to reach the rural poor. Agronomic biofortification of pulses with Zn, Fe, and boron (B) offers a pragmatic solution to combat hidden hunger instead of food fortification and supplementation. Moreover, it also has positive effects on crop production as well. Therefore, we conducted three separate field experiments for two consecutive years to evaluate the impact of soil and foliar application of… More >

Yong Liang¹, Yuexing Chen², Dong Liu¹, Jianping Cheng³, Gang Zhao¹, Tzion Fahima⁴, Jun Yan^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.89, No.2, pp. 423-435, 2020, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2020.09339 - 22 April 2020

Abstract Mineral nutrient malnutrition, especially deficiency in selenium (Se), affects the health of approximately 1 billion people worldwide. Wheat, a staple food crop, plays an important role in producing Se-enriched foodstuffs to increase the Se intake of humans. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different Se application methods on grain yield and nutritional quality, grain Se absorption and accumulation, as well as 14 other trace elements concentrations in wheat grains. A sand culture experiment was conducted via a completely randomized 3 × 2 × 1 factorial scheme (three Se levels × two methods of… More >

Aroosa Kanwal¹, Muhammad Bismillah Khan¹, Mubshar Hussain^1,2,*, Muhammad Naeem¹, Muhammad Shahid Rizwan³, Muhammad Zafar-ul-Hye⁴

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.89, No.1, pp. 87-96, 2020, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2020.07845 - 01 March 2020

Abstract Worldwide, the dietary deficiency of zinc (Zn) is prevailing in almost all arid and semi-arid regions. Zinc deficiency is not only the major constraint of lower yield, but also dietary Zn deficiency in cereals grains may cause increasing malnutrition and chronic health problems in human. Exogenous application of Zn through basal soil nutrition might be a useful option to recover Zn deficiency in mung bean. Therefore, field study was conducted to optimize the optimum level and method of Zn nutrition to enhance crop yield and Zn biofortification of mung bean through basal application. Zinc was… More >

Hermosillo-Cereceres MA¹, E Sánchez¹, E Muñoz-Márquez¹, A Guevara-Aguilar¹, M García-Bañuelos¹, D Ojeda-Barrios²

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.83, pp. 347-352, 2014, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2014.83.347

Abstract Selenium (Se) is an essential element for many organisms, although in high concentrations it may become toxic, leading to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, bean plants received different application rates of Se (0, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 µM) in the form of selenite and selenate to evaluate the activity of the detoxifying enzymes of H₂O₂. The results indicated that the activity of these enzymes in bean plants depended on the chemical form of Se: selenite at rates of 20 µM or greater diminished biomass and yield, increasing the activity More >