Improvement of Selenium Status of Pasture Crops

Selenium was applied to pasture crops in a field experiment (1) by foliar application of 10 g Se/ha as selenite in the spring, (2) or by 5 g Se/ha in the spring plus 5 g in early August, (3) as selenite-enriched calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) at 4 g Se/ha after each cut, and (4) as 4 g Se after every second cut. The experiment covered 2 yr. The results showed that applying 4 g Se in CAN/ha five times and spraying with 10 g Se/ha were efficient and safe measures to raise the average Se concentrations from about 0.04 ppm to 0.06-0.1 ppm. The yield of dry matter was lower in 1981 than in 1980 and consequently the Se concentrations were higher. Dividing the foliar application of 10 g Se/ha into two applications increased the efficiency considerably.