Magalhães, CátiaRodrigues, MatildePinela, José2026-05-272026-05-272026Magalhães, Cátia; Rodrigues, Matilde; Pinela, José (2026). Selenium biofortification of pea ( Pisum sativum L.) microgreens through seed priming: Effects on agronomic performance and nutritional quality. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. ISSN 0022-5142. p. 1-160022-5142http://hdl.handle.net/10198/36781Selenium (Se) deficiency is a widespread nutritional problem. Agronomic biofortification of microgreensthrough seed nutripriming is a promising approach to enhance Se intake. Microgreens, comprising nutrient-dense foods thatcan be produced year-round, are ideal targets for biofortification and may help alleviate malnutrition. This study evaluatedthe effects of Se nutripriming on germination, growth performance, chemical composition and antioxidant properties of pea(Pisum sativum L.) microgreens. RESULTS: Nutripriming significantly increased seed Se content, with the 100 ∼M–12-h Se treatment resulting in a four-fold accu-mulation compared to controls, at the same time as preserving membrane integrity. Microgreens from primed seeds exhibitedenhanced Se translocation to aerial tissues and an improved mineral profile. Short-term treatments (6 h) increased glucose andoxalic acid levels, whereas prolonged priming (12 h) favored sucrose accumulation. However, this 12-h duration significantlyreduced the emergence rate and aerial biomass yield. The optimal antioxidant profile, characterized by the highest total phe-nolic content and strongest inhibition of lipid peroxidation, was achieved with the 50 ∼M–12-h Se treatment. CONCLUSION: Se nutripriming enhanced the nutritional quality of pea microgreens but revealed a critical trade-off: although12-h priming maximized Se uptake and antioxidant properties, it severely reduced agronomic production. Conversely, 6-hpriming promoted better biomass yield, although germination remained lower than in the NP control. Therefore, optimizingpriming duration is essential to balance the biofortification benefits with overall crop productivity.engAgronomic biofortificationAntioxidant activityFree sugars/Organic acidsGreen peaNutrient uptakeSeed nutriprimingjournal article10.1002/jsfa.705952-s2.0-105033383417