An Approach to Alleviate the Impact of Drought Stress with Selenium Amendment

Selenium (Se), an essential microelement for humans and animals, has recently gained in importance in the plant systems due to its effects on antioxidative defense system. Several studies demonstrated that low concentrations of Se protect plants against various types of biotic and abiotic stresses. We conducted a pot experiment for 2 months, using Sorghum (Sorghum vulgarea L.), to investigate the protective role of a low dose of Se (20 mg Se/l) against a drought stress. Specifically, we submitted treated and non-treated plants to three different condition of water availability: control condition (100% field capacity), low drought condition (70% field capacity), and high drought condition (35% field capacity) and we measured growth and several physiological traits of these plants. We found that Se treatment stimulates growth and significantly increases the relative water content (RWC) and the chlorophyll content. These findings suggest that Se could alleviate drought stress by promoting growth and regulating water status of sorghum.