Selenium Absorption by Excised Astragalus Roots

Absorption of selenate and selenite by excised roots of Astragalus Crotalariae, a selenium accumulator, and of A. lentiginosus, a non-accumulator, was favored by CaCl(2) and a pH of 4.0. The uptake of selenate and possibly selenite, is metabolically linked. Roots of a number of Astragalus species were examined, and in all cases selenate entered the roots much faster than selenite. In these short-term experiments there was no relation between uptake of the 2 ions and classification of a species as selenium-accumulator or non-accumulator.