The uptake and translocation of macro- and microelements in rape and wheat seedlings as affected by selenium supply level

The selenium effect on the uptake of micro- and macro-elements and the physiological properties of rape and Finnish and Polish wheat seedlings were studied. Selenium was added (in the form of sodium selenate) at two levels (100 and 200 mu M) to in vitro culture media supplied with optimal doses of nutrients. The uptake and distribution (between upper parts and roots) of Se and the elements under study: P, S, K, Ca, Mg (macroelements), and B, Mn, Fe and Zn (microelements) were determined and related to the following parameters: plasmalemma fatty acid composition, membrane permeability and fluidity, and lipid peroxidation factor. Noticeable changes in the concentrations of the studied elements in Se treated plants were registered mostly in the case of rape seedlings. The changes caused by Se addition were stronger when the applied dose was higher. The determined parameters indicated that a 200 mu M selenium dose added to the growth media of controlled composition represented the level at which stressogenic effects appeared in plants.