Assessment of Selenium in Agrosystem of the Northwest Delta, Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Soil Salinity Department, Alexandria Soil, Water and Environment Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Giza, Egypt

2 Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Giza, Egypt

Abstract

Selenium (Se) is an essential element for saving living organisms. Plants are vital sources of organic Se to avoid living organism deficiency problem and brought good health. The results showed that the average total selenium (Se) concentrations in soils were slightly low (0.431, 0.339 and 0.365 ppm) in Burj Al Arab, Abu El Matamir and Nubariya areas, respectively. The results did not show any significant correlation with the examined soil characteristics. It might be related to the cultivation intensity near the Delta and soil parent material.  The average selenium concentration in clover (0.72 mg/kg) is below the required range of 0.03-0.1 mg/kg for cattle, indicating a potential risk of selenium deficiency in livestock grazing on these soils. Quality of soils and Se content in all areas of the Northwest Delta should be regularly recorded to prevent metal toxicity or deficiency of Se-enriched plants. 

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