Increasing the concentration of selenium in lentil seeds may help prevent a global deficiency of the essential mineral.
Researchers at The University of Western Australia in conjunction with North Dakota State University and Cornell University in the U.S. applied selenium directly onto lentil plants in their reproductive stage.
Applying 40 grams of selenium per hectare of lentil plants was found to increase concentration in the seeds by more than 10 times.
Over a billion people are affected by selenium deficiency in countries where soil selenium levels are low, such as Australia, New Zealand and Bangladesh.
Selenium deficiency has been linked to some cancers, viral infections, heart disease and male infertility.
Read more at The University of Western Australia