Selenium Break Through

SYDNEY - Aug 4/14 - SNS -- Researchers at the University of Western Australia have discovered a way to increase the amount of selenium in lentils seeds.

The biofortification concept was developed by PhD student Mahmudur Rahman from Bangladesh and his supervisors Hackett Professor Kadambot Siddique and Professor William Erskine.

The group from The University of Western Australia's Institute of Agriculture and Centre for Plant Genetics and Breeding in the School of Plant Biology took analysis from selenium in the soil and lentil seeds in collaboration with North Dakota State University and Cornell University in the U.S.

Studies were conducted in Bangladesh and Australia to determine the concentration of selenium in lentil seeds. In Australia, in cooperation with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and Department of Environment and Primary Industries, Victoria they showed that applying 40 grams per hectare (g/ha) of selenium directly on lentil plants during its reproductive stage increased its concentration in the seeds by more than 10 times from 200 micrograms per kilogram (µg/kg) to 2772 µg/kg.

"Our research shows that without changing food habits, biofortified lentils would provide adequate dietary selenium to people living in countries where soil selenium levels are low, such as Australia, New Zealand and Bangladesh," Professor Erskine said. "This means that eating just 20 grams of biofortified lentils can supply all of the recommended daily allowance of selenium."

Seed selenium concentration in Bangladesh studies averaged 312 µg/kg compared with 200 µg/kg in Australia. In both countries, research showed that different varieties of lentils and the location they were grown in was a factor for seed selenium concentration.

"The research found that genetic variation in lentils does affect the amount of uptake and concentration of selenium and therefore there is an opportunity to breed and select for improved varieties with selenium seed concentration," Mr Rahman said.

"There is scientific evidence that a selenium-deficient diet may increase the risk of arsenic poisoning among people exposed to arsenic-contaminated water," Professor Siddique said. "In Bangladesh, more than 80 million people are at risk of drinking arsenic-contaminated water.