Effect of Selenite and Selenate Application on Mineral Composition of Lettuce Plants Cultivated Under Hydroponic Conditions: Nutritional Balance Overview Using a Multifaceted Study

The effect of selenate and selenite enrichment on mineral composition of a red type of lettuce cv. “Veneza roxa” was evaluated using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP OES), molecular modeling and principal component analysis (PCA). Both Se species did not show toxicity, while selenate promoted the greatest Se accumulation by the plant. There was an increase of 886 µg of Se per 100 g of fresh sample at different concentrations of selenate, but for selenite the maximum variation was only of 114 µg per 100 g. Selenate promoted the absorption of Mo and S and the r...