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Selenium in bread and durum wheats grown under a soil-supplementation regime in actual field conditions, determined by cyclic and radiochemical neutron activation analysis

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Abstract

This work focuses on the ability of bread and durum wheat to accumulate selenium (Se) via a soil-addition procedure at sowing time. Total Se in mature-grain samples was determined by neutron activation analysis (cyclic and radiochemical). Results show that Se-supplementation at the top rate (100 g Se ha−1) can increase Se contents up to 2, 16, 18 and 20 times for Jordão, Roxo, Marialva and Celta cultivars, respectively, when compared to their unsupplemented crops. These findings do not preclude the need for weighing up an eventual trade-off between agrochemical costs, field logistics and Se recovery for alternative Se-biofortification methods.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support by the Portuguese Foundation for the Science and the Technology (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia – FCT; Portugal) through research contract PTDC/QUI/65618/2006 is gratefully acknowledged. C. Galinha is also indebted to FCT for her PhD grant (SFRH/BD/84575/2012). A.S. Almeida thanks FCT Ciência 2008 programme. The radiochemical work at the Nuclear Physics Institute has been supported by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme through the ‘Research Infrastructures’ action of the ‘Capacities’ Programme, NMI3-II Grant number 283883.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CERENA-IST, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001, Lisboa, Portugal

    Catarina Galinha & Adriano M. G. Pacheco

  2. URSN/CTN-IST, University of Lisbon, Estrada Nacional 10, 2695-066, Bobadela, Portugal

    Catarina Galinha & Maria do Carmo Freitas

  3. Department of Nuclear Spectroscopy, Nuclear Physics Institute of the ASCR, CZ-250 68, Řež, Czech Republic

    Marek Fikrle & Jan Kučera

  4. INIAV, National Institute of Agricultural and Veterinary Research, Estrada de Gil Vaz, 7350-228, Elvas, Portugal

    José Coutinho, Benvindo Maçãs & Ana Sofia Almeida

  5. Department of Radiation Science and Technology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 15, 2629 JB, Delft, The Netherlands

    Catarina Galinha & Hubert T. Wolterbeek

Authors
  1. Catarina Galinha
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  2. Adriano M. G. Pacheco
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  3. Maria do Carmo Freitas
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  4. Marek Fikrle
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  5. Jan Kučera
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  6. José Coutinho
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  7. Benvindo Maçãs
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  8. Ana Sofia Almeida
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  9. Hubert T. Wolterbeek
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Adriano M. G. Pacheco.

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Galinha, C., Pacheco, A.M.G., Freitas, M.C. et al. Selenium in bread and durum wheats grown under a soil-supplementation regime in actual field conditions, determined by cyclic and radiochemical neutron activation analysis. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 304, 139–143 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-014-3455-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-014-3455-9

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