Molecular Plant Breeding 2024, Vol.15, No.6, 328-339 http://genbreedpublisher.com/index.php/mpb 332 Figure 2 The effects of Se treatment on the defense of strawberries against B. cinerea. (A), the symptoms of Se-treated or untreated strawberry fruit infected with B. cinerea; (B), the incidence of gray mold decay; (C), the severity of decay. All data were expressed as the mean values ± standard deviation. The letters indicate the statistically significant difference at p ≤ 0.05 based on the ANOVA analysis with LSD test (Adopted from Lin et al., 2023) In practice, the effectiveness of selenium enrichment in strawberries varies depending on the form of selenium and the application method. Huang et al. (2023) reported that combined application of selenium and zinc in substrate and soil cultivation significantly increased selenium content in the fruit, with low selenium concentrations (0.006%) yielding more stable results. Selenium not only enhanced the fruit's nutritional value but also improved its antioxidant capacity, providing strong scientific support for the promotion and commercialization of selenium-enriched strawberries. 4.2 Synergistic effects of selenium with other nutrients The synergistic effects between selenium and other nutrients play a pivotal role in improving strawberry growth and quality. For example, combined application of selenium and zinc not only increased the content of these trace elements in the fruit but also significantly improved its taste and flavor (Huang et al., 2023). Additionally, the combination of selenium and NaHS was shown to mitigate the adverse effects of salt stress on strawberries, with both elements enhancing antioxidant capacity and improving the antioxidant quality and flavor characteristics of the fruit (Pourebrahimi et al., 2023). The mechanisms behind these synergistic effects may involve the co-regulation of antioxidant enzyme activity and secondary metabolite synthesis within plants. Lin et al. (2024) reported that the combined application of selenium and zinc significantly improved the sweetness and balance of fruit by regulating sugar-acid metabolism, thereby enhancing the overall quality of strawberries. These findings provide a theoretical basis for optimizing multi-element application techniques in strawberry cultivation. 4.3 Promotion and application of selenium in strawberry cultivation Selenium biofortification technology has seen initial applications in strawberry cultivation, but its large-scale promotion faces several challenges. Existing research indicates that different selenium forms and application concentrations have significantly varied effects on strawberry growth, stress tolerance, and quality (Huang et al., 2023; Lin et al., 2023). Therefore, optimizing selenium application methods-such as foliar spraying, soil amendment, and combined application with other elements-has become a key focus of current research.
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