Chinese Bulletin of Botany ›› 2023, Vol. 58 ›› Issue (1): 62-76.DOI: 10.11983/CBB22172

Special Issue: 杂粮生物学专辑 (2023年58卷1期)

• EXPERIMENTAL COMMUNICATIONS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Regulatory Effects of Selenium and Tellurium on Alleviating Cadmium Toxicity and Reducing Grain Cadmium Accumulation in Broomcorn Millet (Panicum miliaceum)

Jiajia Liu, Dazhong Zhang, Yuanbo Zhang, Chuchu Zhang, Jiayue Zhou, Yahong Xiong, Zhensheng Zhuo, Yujian Rao, Baili Feng*()   

  1. State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas/College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
  • Received:2022-07-29 Accepted:2022-11-15 Online:2023-01-01 Published:2023-01-05
  • Contact: *E-mail: fengbaili@nwafu.edu.cn

Abstract: Improving the cadmium (Cd) tolerance and low accumulation ability of broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) is of great significance to its safe production in Cd-contaminated areas. Using Cd-tolerant and Cd-sensitive broomcorn millet varieties as materials, the effects of different forms of selenium and tellurium on the growth, root morphology, Cd uptake and transport, and grain mineral nutrient content under Cd stress were investigated by seedling hydroponic and full-fertility pot experiments. Exogenous addition of selenium and tellurium alleviated Cd toxicity, with organoselenium having the best alleviation effect. Compared with Cd treatment alone, selenium and tellurium can promote root diameter increase and inhibit Cd uptake, reducing root Cd content by up to 33%. Meanwhile, selenium and tellurium increased the percentage of Cd in cell wall and vacuole, thus improved Cd tolerance. Foliar spraying of selenium increased the mineral nutrient content of zinc, manganese and molybdenum in grains; inorganic tetravalent selenium could inhibit the translocation of Cd from nutrient organs to grains more effectively, reducing grain Cd content by 11.3%, 20.3% in Cd-sensitive and Cd-tolerant varieties under 5 mg·kg-1 Cd treatment, respectively. In conclusion, exogenous addition of selenium can improve Cd tolerance and reduce grain Cd accumulation in broomcorn millet, and these findings provide a reference for safe production of broomcorn millet in Cd contaminated areas.

Key words: broomcorn millet, cadmium, selenium, tellurium, tolerance