The effect of selenium on the accumulation of some metals in Zea mays L. plants treated with indole-3-acetic acid.

In this study, we examined the relationship between the accumulation of NaHSeO3, the plant hormone (IAA), and some nutrient elements (K(+), Na(+), Ca(2+)) in the tissues of the roots, mesocotyls and leaves of Zea mays L. plants. Our experiments were carried out with eight- to nine-day old maize plants (Zea mays L. var K33xF2) grown on Hoagland's medium containing the standard macro- and microelements, IAA and NaHSeO(3). The accumulation of selenium, potassium, sodium and calcium in the seedlings was measured by emission spectroscopy using a spectrometer with excitation by the argon inductively coupled plasma technique (ICP-AES). We observed that when selenite and phytohormone (IAA) are present in the external medium of growing plants, they change the uptake and accumulation of some cations (K(+), Na(+), Ca(2+)) in the leaf, mesocotyl and root tissues. The change of transport of some nutrient elements is probably one of the first observed symptoms of selenium's effects on plants.