article · Molecules
Drought stress significantly lowers the yield of oilseed crops such as camelina and canola. A multi-year field study assessed whether applying selenium in the form of sodium selenite could protect four genotypes of each crop from drought. Plants were grown under regular irrigation and induced drought conditions, receiving selenium through seed priming, foliar spray, or a combined treatment of both methods. Across both crops, combining seed priming with foliar application yielded the best results, substantially boosting antioxidant enzyme activity, osmoprotectants, and physiological health. This combined treatment also enhanced seed weight, branching, and overall biological yield during drought conditions, while also benefiting crops grown under normal irrigation. Across the two years of field trials, camelina genotypes demonstrated a stronger positive response to selenium treatments than canola.
Drought presents a severe risk to global oilseed production by stunting plant growth and triggering crop failures. Demonstrating that an inexpensive micronutrient treatment can maintain plant health and crop yield under water scarcity offers a practical route to improving climate resilience in agricultural systems, helping stabilise oilseed supplies even during dry periods.
This applied field research demonstrates that sodium selenite treatments, especially combining seed priming and foliar spray, can protect oilseed crops from drought. The primary users would be farmers, agronomic advisers, and seed treatment manufacturers seeking practical methods to safeguard camelina and canola yields under water-limited conditions. Because the intervention was validated in multi-year field trials, the approach appears close to practical on-farm adoption, though commercial uptake would require scaled application protocols.
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Drought poses a serious threat to oilseed crops by lowering yield and crop failures under prolonged spells. A multi-year field investigation was conducted to enhance the drought tolerance in four genotypes of Camelina and canola by selenium (Se) application. The principal aim of the research was to optimize the crop yield by eliciting the physio-biochemical attributes by alleviating the adverse effects of drought stress. Both crops were cultivated under control (normal irrigation) and drought stress (skipping irrigation at stages i.e., vegetative and reproductive) conditions. Four different treatments of Se viz., seed priming with Se (75 μM), foliar application of Se (7.06 μM), foliar application of Se + Seed priming with Se (7.06 μM and 75 μM, respectively) and control (without Se), were implemented at the vegetative and reproductive stages of both crops. Sodium selenite (Na<sub>2</sub>SeO<sub>3</sub>), an inorganic compound was used as Se sources for both seed priming and foliar application. Data regarding physiochemical, antioxidants, and yield components were recorded as response variables at crop maturity. Results indicated that WP, OP, TP, proline, TSS, TFAA, TPr, TS, total chlorophyll contents, osmoprotectant (GB, anthocyanin, TPC, and flavonoids), antioxidants (APX, SOD, POD, and CAT), and yield components (number of branches per plant, thousand seed weight, seed, and biological yields were significantly improved by foliar Se + priming Se in both crops under drought stress. Moreover, this treatment was also helpful in boosting yield attributes under irrigated (non-stress) conditions. Camelina genotypes responded better to Se application as seed priming and foliar spray than canola for both years. It has concluded that Se application (either foliar or priming) can potentially alleviate adverse effects of drought stress in camelina and canola by eliciting various physio-biochemicals attributes under drought stress. Furthermore, Se application was also helpful for crop health under irrigated condition.
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DOI: 10.3390/molecules26061699
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