Uptake and remobilization of selenium in Brassica napus L. plants supplied with selenate or selenium‐enriched plant residues

Selenium (Se) biofortification via crops is one of the best strategies to elevate the daily Se intake in areas where soil Se levels are low. However, Se fertilizer recovery (SeFR) is low and most of the Se taken up accumulates in non‐harvested plant parts and returns to the soil with plant residues. A pot experiment with soil was undertaken to study the efficiency of inorganic Se (Na 2 SeO 4 ) and Se‐enriched plant residues for biofortification, as well as to identify the bottlenecks in Se utilization by Brassica napus L. The soil was fertilized with Na 2 SeO 4 (0 and 7 µg Se kg −1 ) or with Se in stem or leaf residues (0 and 7 µg Se kg −1 ). A treatment with autoclaved soil was included (0 and 7 µg kg −1 as Na 2 SeO 4 ) to unravel the impact of microbial activity on Se uptake. The Se‐enriched plant residues produced a lower Se uptake efficiency (SeUPE) and SeFR than did inorganic Se, and soil autoclaving enhanced Se accumulation in the plants. The time required for decomposition seems to preclude crop residues as an alternative source of Se. Furthermore, B. napus had a limited capacity to accumulate Se in seeds. The study shows that the bottlenecks in Se biofortification appear to be its low bioavailability in soil and poor loading from the silique walls to seeds. Thus, improved Se translocation to seeds would be a useful breeding goal in B. napus to increase SeFR.