Summary
Astragalus species were cultured on solutions of repurified nutrients in a greenhouse provided with carbon-filtered air. Earlier results of others which had demonstrated pronounced growth increases with selenium application are now considered to have been largely related to ameliorated toxicity of phosphate through suppressed sorption induced by selenium. Manganese sorption was similarly repressed. Losses of selenium, presumably organovolatiles, from cultures were confirmed; concomitant inadvertent accretions occurred. Essentiality of selenium for growth has not been conclusively established, but certain observations confirm the possibility. If selenium is required for growth of these species, the critical concentration will probably approximate one µg-atom Se/kg dry weight in leaves or whole plant tops.
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Broyer, T.C., Johnson, C.M. & Huston, R.P. Selenium and nutrition of astragalus. Plant Soil 36, 635–649 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01373513
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01373513