Selenium is an element that must be considered in the nutrition of certain crops since its use allows the obtaining of biofortified crops with a positive impact on human health. The objective of this review is to present the information on the use of Se and S in the cultivation of plants of the genus Allium. The main proposal is to use Allium as specialist plants for biofortification with Se and S, considering the natural ability to accumulate both elements in different phytochemicals, which promotes the functional value of Allium. In spite of this, in the agricultural production of these species, the addition of sulfur is not realized to obtain functional foods and plants more resistant; it is only sought to cover the necessary requirements for growth. On the other hand, selenium does not appear in the agronomic management plans of most of the producers. Including S and Se fertilization as part of agronomic management can substantially improve Allium crop production. Allium species may be suitable to carry out biofortification with Se; this practice can be combined with the intensive use of S to obtain crops with higher production and sensory, nutritional, and functional quality.
Iodine is an essential trace nutrient for humans; its deficit can affect motor and cognitive development. Biofortifying crops with iodine is a way of promoting the adequate intake of this element. The uses of chitosan-iodine complexes for crop biofortification have not been previously studied. The present work evaluated the effects of KIO3 and KI salts, chitosan-KIO3 complex (Cs-KIO3), and chitosan-KI complex (Cs-KI) application on lettuce, with a chitosan-only treatment as a control and water as the absolute control. Each treatment involved the application of 0, 5, and 25 mg I kg−1 soil applied before transplanting or 25 mg I kg−1 soil applied as split doses of 12.5 mg kg−1, once immediately before transplanting and the second application 15 days later. Single application of Cs-KIO3 at 5 and 25 mg I kg−1 increased lettuce biomass while the split-dose application (SDA) of Cs-KI (25 mg I kg−1) led to a decrease in biomass. Maximum accumulation of iodine in lettuce was observed after the application of KIO3 (25 mg I kg−1) in two parts. This study shows that the use of chitosan complexes, especially Cs-KIO3, may be a viable alternative for crop biofortification with iodine without affecting crop yields.
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