Effects of selenium-zinc interaction on zinc bioavailability of pak choi

Zinc (Zn) is an essential trace element for humans (Krężel & Maret 2016), and about a third of the world’s population is estimated to be at risk of Zn deficiency (Li et al. 2015). The usefulness of a Zn fertilizer will depend on its bioavailability in soil (Cakmak & Kutman 2018). However, 90% of inorganic Zn fertilizers (ZnSO₄·7H₂O) applied to calcareous soils quickly become unavailable to plants due to the physicochemical properties of soil, including high pH and high levels of carbonate (Lu et al. 2012).