title: Biofortification and phytoremediation of selenium in China.
abstract: Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for humans and animals but at high concentrations, Se becomes toxic to organisms due to Se replacing sulfur in proteins. Selenium biofortification is an agricultural process that increases the accumulation of Se in crops, through plant breeding, genetic engineering, or use of Se fertilizers. Selenium phytoremediation is a green biotechnology to clean up Se-contaminated environments, primarily through phytoextraction and phytovolatilization. By integrating Se phytoremediation and biofortification technologies, Se-enriched plant materials harvested from Se phytoremediation can be used as Se-enriched green manures or other supplementary sources of Se for producing Se-biofortified agricultural products. Earlier studies primarily aimed at enhancing efficacy of phytoremediation and biofortification of Se based on natural variation in progenitor or identification of unique plant species. In this review, we discuss promising approaches to improve biofortification and phytoremediation of Se using knowledge acquired from model crops. We also explored the feasibility of applying biotechnologies such as inoculation of microbial strains for improving the efficiency of biofortification and phytoremediation of Se. The key research and practical challenges that remain in improving biofortification and phytoremediation of Se have been highlighted, and the future development and uses of Se-biofortified agricultural products in China has also been discussed.
authors: Key Laboratory of Agri-Food Safety of Anhui Province, School of Resources and Environment-School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agriculture University , Hefei, China ; Advanced Lab for Selenium and Human Health-Jiangsu, Bio-Engineering Research Centre of Selenium, Suzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Science and Technology of China , Suzhou, China ; School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, China.
authors: Zhilin
authors: Z
authors: Wu
authors: United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service , Parlier, CA, USA.
authors: Gary S
authors: GS
authors: Bañuelos
authors: Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville , Edwardsville, IL, USA ; Environmental Sciences Program, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville , Edwardsville, IL, USA.
authors: Zhi-Qing
authors: ZQ
authors: Lin
authors: Advanced Lab for Selenium and Human Health-Jiangsu, Bio-Engineering Research Centre of Selenium, Suzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Science and Technology of China , Suzhou, China ; School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, China.
authors: Ying
authors: Y
authors: Liu
authors: Advanced Lab for Selenium and Human Health-Jiangsu, Bio-Engineering Research Centre of Selenium, Suzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Science and Technology of China , Suzhou, China ; School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, China.
authors: Linxi
authors: L
authors: Yuan
authors: Advanced Lab for Selenium and Human Health-Jiangsu, Bio-Engineering Research Centre of Selenium, Suzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Science and Technology of China , Suzhou, China ; School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, China.
authors: Xuebin
authors: X
authors: Yin
authors: Key Laboratory of Agri-Food Safety of Anhui Province, School of Resources and Environment-School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agriculture University , Hefei, China.
authors: Miao
authors: M
authors: Li
keywords: biofortification; deficiency; nutrient; phytoremediation; selenium