Genetic Biofortification of Winter Wheat with Selenium (Se)

Wheat is one of the three most important cereals in the world, along with rice and maize. It serves as the primary food and source of energy for about 30-40% of the world's population. However, the low levels of micronutrients in wheat grains can lead to deficiencies of those micronutrients in people whose dietary habits are mostly based on cereals such as wheat. Apart from iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn), a lack of selenium (Se) is also one of the biggest problems in the world. The essentiality of Se has been confirmed for all animals and humans, and the lack of this micronutrient can cause serious health issues. Wheat dominates the world's cereal production, so it is one of the best plants for biofortification. Due to the fact that agronomic biofortification is not an economical or environmentally acceptable approach, genetic improvement of cereals such as wheat for the enhanced content of micronutrients in the grain represents the most efficient biofortification approach.