Selenium Intake by Selected Vegetable Species After Foliar Application

The risk of phytotoxicity and accumulation of selenium in the soil is significantly reduced by foliar application of selenium to photosynthetically active parts of plants. The use of foliar nutrition in practice has only expanded in recent decades, mainly due to the development of spraying techniques used in plant protection. Environmental factors such as humidity, temperature, and light are essential for application. The higher the relative humidity, the longer the applied solution remains on the leaf surface and the nutrient entry time increases. The next part of the monograph presents the results of solving the issue of foliar supplementation of selenium in field conditions on selected agricultural crops (peas, tomatoes, broccoli, basil) and oyster mushrooms in connection with its impact on the content of selected qualitative indicators (vitamin C, sulforaphane, polyphenols, carotenoids, chlorophylls, glucans, essential oils, antioxidant activity) and on yield. Selenium in foliar application (5–50 mg Se m−2, depending on the vegetable species, 0.5 mg dm−3 on oyster mushrooms) was used efficiently by plants depending on the cultivated species. The results showed a significant increase not only in the selenium content in the consumable parts of the vegetables monitored but also in the monitored biologically active substances and yield. The results presented in the monograph demonstrate the practical possibilities of using the foliar biofortification of selected vegetables with selenium and enrich the existing theoretical and practical knowledge. Based on the results achieved, the authors recommend the application of selenium as a micronutrient with antioxidant capabilities by foliar biofortification for large-scale production practice and define specific procedures, verified by field experiments realized.