Role of Selenium-Tolerant Fungi on Plant Growth Promotion and Selenium Accumulation of Maize Plants Grown in Seleniferous Soils

Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient for humans and livestock. Its toxicity is prominently observed in soils naturally rich in selenium and its deficiency disorders in low selenium areas. In the present investigation, several fungi were isolated from seleniferous agricultural soils (~ 6 mg Se kg−1 of soil) and tested for selenium tolerance, uptake, and plant growth promotion. Two Se-tolerant fungal isolates (SeF5 and SeF12) were selected and tested for their efficacy to improve plant growth and Se uptake in maize plants grown in seleniferous soils. These fungi were identified as Fusarium equiseti (SeF5) and Pseudopestalotiopsis theae (SeF12) based on their morphology and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence analysis. Inoculation of maize plants with SeF5 and SeF12 significantly increased the growth compared to control. SeF5 inoculation increased the accumulation of Se in the shoots, whereas SeF12 showed greater selenium accumulation in the roots. The present study results suggest that maize crops and Se-tolerant fungi enhance Se accumulating ability in plants, facilitating the potential use for biofortification.