ABSTRACT
Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient for human and animal health. The Se status in a human population depends on the daily dietary Se intake, which is in part governed by the amount of Se available that enters the food chain from the soil. Applying cow manure is a traditional method to maintain or increase soil fertility for agricultural production. The Se concentration in Indian mustard tissues dramatically decreased with increasing manure amendments. The observation suggested that the Se immobilization process promoted by cow manure amendment plays a dominant role over mineralization by plant roots in determining the bioavailability of Se in soil-plant system. The plants were harvested 120 d after planting. At harvest, rhizosphere and bulk soil was recovered by gently shaking and scraping the roots and then air-dried. Plant shoots, tubers, and roots were rinsed with distilled water and air-dried.
