Abstract
The effects of selenium (Se) (VI) soil fertilization with 2 μg Se L−1 or foliar spraying twice with 20 mg Se L−1 in the form of sodium (Na) selenate on the physiological and biochemical characteristics of cabbage plants were studied. The ability of the plants to take up Se and translocate it to different parts of the plants was also studied. Despite the high concentration of Se in the foliar solution, there was no effect on photosynthesis, transpiration rate, photochemical efficiency of PSII, or electron transport system activity. The amount of chlorophyll and anthocyanins were unchanged. At harvest, the concentration of Se in control plants was lower than 100 ng Se g−1 dry weight (DW), while plants treated with 20 mg Se L−1 contained 5500 ng Se g−1. Selenium enriched cabbage could be used in human nutrition. The tolerance of cabbage to Se could be explained by the formation of insoluble compounds that are not available for the plant.