Selenium enriched fertilizers a competitive and safe solution for selenium supplementation

1
Selenium enriched fertilizers- a competitive and
safe solution for selenium supplementation

• Jens Lund Pedersen
• Senior agronomist

2
Outline

• Ecological Effects of Selenium
• Selenium cycles under field conditions
• Soil Factors and Selenium Content of Soils and
  Plants
• Selenium in feeds organic versus inorganic
  selenium
• Selenium in enriched fertilizers is transfered to
  a vital source of Organic selenium in Plants

3
Ecological Effects of Selenium

• Experiments shows
• The biological half-life of selenium for
  representatives of common animal groups is short
• Selenite is fixed very tightly in the soil to
  iron- and organic complexes
• Its not a new environmental pollutant

4
Selenium cycles under field conditions
NPK
5
Soil Factors and Selenium Content of Soils and
Plants

• pH, silt, clay, organic matter and iron showed in
  a Danish study a significant correlation with
  soil content of total selenium
• However no significant correlation with
  water-soluble selenium
• Added Na-selenite is taken up immediately and
  transferred to the plant tops
• N-fertilisation improves Se-uptake
• A high sulphur supply will depress the selenium
  uptake by plants
• Uptake efficiency varies with plant species

6
Trace-ability into organic selenium in plants
Selenium content in Potatoes
Selenium content in Fi silage
Mg Se/kg
Source Kemira GrowHow
(Landwirtschkammer Hannover, 2000-2002)
7
Selenium deficiency in Denmark

• Survey among 21 Danish vets. September 2005
• Deficiency symptoms lt 10 of Danish herds
• Symptoms ranked by priority
• Reduced immune defence system
• Fertility problems
• Mushle degeneration
• Weak calves
• High cell content in milk
• Treatment
• Acute by injection
• Long term by feeds.

8
SELENIUM
effect of Selenium fertilisation
Se in forage
9
Selenium in feeds organic versus inorganic
selenium

• A moderate Selenium deficiency is quite common in
  Europe for man and beast
• The plant converts within the assimilation
  process inorganic Se into different organic
  compounds
• A combination of inorganic and organic sources
  for ruminents is recommended by

Se µg/kg
Days
(Boltshauser and Kessler, 1990)
10
When Your grass is fertilized with selenium your
cattle will get a supplement of organic selenium
in the forage
11
Organic selenium better health
Immune system
calf
?
?
organic selenium
?
?
ORGANIC selenium
Milk
?
grass
?
inorganic selenium via fertilizer
12
Supplement of organic selenium

• Stronger immune defence
• Stronger calves
• Reduces mastitis

13
Experiences from Finland, Nederlands, Belgium,
France, GermanySelenium content in grass
increases 3 5 timeswith Selenium enriched
fertilizers
14
a few kronar
Price for organic selenium
per cow per year
15
Thank You