Influence of selenium on oxidoreductive enzymes activity in soil and in plants

The aim of this greenhouse experiment was the assessment of the influence of H2SeO3 at soil concentrations of 0.05, 0.15 and 0.45 mmol kg(-1), on the activity of selected oxidoreductive enzymes in wheat (Triticum aestivum). The wheat plants were grown in 2 dm(3) pots filled with dust-silt black soil of pH 7.7. Applied H2SeO3 caused activation of plant nitrate reductase at all concentrations, but activation of plant polyphenol oxidase at only two lower concentrations. The highest concentration caused inhibition of polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase. Plant catalase activity decreased under the influence of 0.15 and 0.45 mmol kg(-1) concentration. After the final analysis Se was quantified in plants and soil. The amounts in plants were: control (unamended soil) 1.95 mg kg(-1); I dose (0.05 mmol kg(-1)) 18.27 mg kg(-1); II dose (0.15 mmol kg(-1)) 33.20 mg kg(-1) and III dose (0.45 mmol kg(-1)) 38.37 mg kg(-1), in soil: 0.265 mg kg(-1); 3.61 mg kg(-1); 10.53 mg kg(-1); 30.53 mg kg(-1); respectively. Simultaneously, a laboratory experiment was performed, where the activity of soil catalase and peroxidase were tested after 1, 3, 7, 14, 28, 56, and 112 days after Se treatment. Peroxidase activity in soil decreased with increasing Se content, over the whole experiment. The lowest dose of Se caused activation a significant 10% increase in catalase activity, but the influence of others doses was unclear. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.