How Tea Infusion Affects Selenium Absorption in Grapevines

Jenn Hoskins
11th July, 2024

How Tea Infusion Affects Selenium Absorption in Grapevines

A recent study reveals that irrigating Grapefine (Vitis vinifera) (pictured left) with tea infusions can significantly improve plant growth and facilitate the uptake of selenium, a vital nutrient for human health.

Composite: Natural Science News / CC BY. [Sources]
Adapted from photos by:

Key Findings

  • The study from Sichuan Agricultural University explored how different tea infusions affect selenium (Se) uptake in grapevines
  • Black tea infusion significantly boosted grapevine growth, increasing biomass, photosynthetic pigments, and antioxidant enzyme activities
  • Dark and white tea infusions notably enhanced Se content in grapevine shoots, making them more effective for Se enrichment than black and green teas
Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient for human health, but many soils worldwide are deficient in this element, leading to low Se content in agricultural products. Increasing Se content in fruits can help address this deficiency in human diets. A recent study from Sichuan Agricultural University explored the effects of different tea infusions on Se uptake in grapevines to promote Se enrichment in fruit trees[1]. The study tested infusions of four types of tea—green, black, dark, and white—to determine their impact on Se uptake and overall plant health. The researchers found that black tea infusion significantly increased the biomass, photosynthetic pigment content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, peroxidase (POD) activity, and soluble protein content of grapevines. Except for white tea infusion, other tea infusions also increased the catalase (CAT) activity of grapevines. Additionally, all tea infusions elevated the activities of adenosine triphosphate sulfurase (ATPS) and adenosine 5’-phosphosulfate reductase (APR), while decreasing the activities of serine acetyltransferase (SAT) and selenocysteine methyltransferase (SMT). Interestingly, dark and white tea infusions increased the shoot total Se content by 86.53% and 23.32%, respectively, compared to the control. These infusions also enhanced the shoot inorganic and organic Se content. Notably, all tea infusions decreased the proportion of organic Se and increased the proportion of inorganic Se in grapevines. Correlation and grey relational analyses indicated that root total Se content, ATPS activity, and APR activity were closely associated with shoot total Se content. Principal component and cluster analyses further grouped ATPS activity, APR activity, root total Se content, and shoot total Se content into one category. This study builds on previous research examining Se uptake and plant health. For instance, a study on peach seedlings demonstrated that Artemisia argyi water extract could enhance Se content and various physiological activities, such as SOD and POD activities[2]. Similarly, the current study found that black tea infusion improved these enzyme activities in grapevines, suggesting that specific plant extracts can enhance both growth and Se uptake. Another relevant study investigated the effects of amino acid fertilizer on Cd contamination in paddy soils, showing that biostimulants could increase biomass and photosynthetic pigment content while promoting heavy metal uptake[3]. The current research aligns with these findings by demonstrating that black tea infusion not only improves grapevine growth but also increases Se uptake, indicating that certain biostimulants can be effective across different plant species and environmental conditions. The findings from Sichuan Agricultural University suggest that black tea infusion is particularly effective in promoting grapevine growth, while dark and white tea infusions are more effective in enhancing Se uptake. This research provides a potential solution for increasing Se content in fruits, thereby addressing Se deficiency in human diets. Future studies could explore the application of these findings to other fruit trees and agricultural products to further improve Se enrichment strategies.

AgricultureBiochemPlant Science

References

Main Study

1) Effects of tea infusion on selenium uptake in grapevine

Published 10th July, 2024

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-024-05379-9

Related Studies

2) Artemisia argyi water extract promotes selenium uptake of peach seedlings.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.1014454

3) An amino acid fertilizer improves the emergent accumulator plant Nasturtium officinale R. Br. phytoremediation capability for cadmium-contaminated paddy soils.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.1003743


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