Uptake and transport of selenite and selenate by soybean seedlings of two genotypes

In an attempt to address the role of biological behavior on Se uptake by soybean crop and the genotype effects, experiments with time and concentration sequences of Se uptake by seedlings in Hoagland solution are conducted using selenite and selenate respectively. Two soybean cultivars Tong-ai 405 (TA) and Qidong Green-skin (QG) are used as different genotypes. In presence of selenite, Se uptake by both roots and shoots exhibited a linear increase with the growing time at 5 M and with the solution Se concentrations. However, in presence of selenate, the linear response to growing time is only valid before 24 h of growing. While root Se uptake is much slower under selenate than under selenite in the time sequence experiment, shoot Se levels are similar between the two different Se form treatments. Nevertheless, in the experiment of concentration sequence, either root Se or shoot Se responses linearly to solution Se concentration regardless of the Se forms supplied. A big discrepancy of root Se level with a similarity of shoot Se between the two cultivars is observed in the concentration sequence experiment. This supports a much faster passive uptake of selenite but more or less an active uptake of selenate by soybean seedlings. Comparatively, cultivars TA have a consistently higher Se concentration than QG both in roots and shoots under selenate, while no difference of concentration ratio of shoot to root is recognized between them. The higher Se level in seed grains, therefore, may be accounted for not by Se transport form root to shoot but by greater ability of Se uptake and retention under selenate by the former cultivar. Therefore, not only forms of Se supply but also genotype difference affects the Se bioavailability by different soybean cultivars. This should be taken into account for screening the high Se-efficiency plants or cultivars to improve the Se supply of the food chain.