Abstract:
Selenium, an essential micronutrient for plants and animals, can cause selenium toxicity as an
oxyanion or at elevated doses. However, the toxic selenite oxyanion, can be converted
into less harmful elemental nano-selenium (Se0
), with various practical applications. This research
aimed to investigate two methods for reducing selenite oxyanion: abiotic reduction using cell-free extract from
Enterococcus spp. (abiotic-SeNPs) and chemical reduction involving L-ascorbic acid (chemical-SeNPs).
Analysis with XPS confirmed the presence of Se0
, while FTIR analysis identified surface functional
groups on all SeNPs. The study evaluated the effects of selenite oxyanion, abiotic-SeNPs, and chemical-SeNPs
at different concentrations on the growth and germination of Pisum sativum L. seeds. Selenite oxyanion−
demonstrated detrimental effects on germination at concentrations of 1 ppm (germination index
(GI) = 0.3). Conversely, both abiotic- and chemical-SeNPs had positive impacts on germination,
with GI > 120 at 10 ppm. Through the DPPH assay, it was discovered that SeNPs exhibited superior
antioxidant capabilities at 80 ppm, achieving over 70% inhibition, compared to selenite oxyanion(less than 20%
inhibition), therefore evidencing significant antioxidant properties. This demonstrates that SeNPs
have the potential to be utilized as an agricultural fertilizer additive, benefiting seedling germination
and development, while also protecting against oxidative stress.
