SELENIUM LEVELS IN BOVINE BLOOD IN THE WE SER-EMS REGION AND EFFECTS OF SELENIUM FERTILIZATION OF PASTURE GROUNDS WITH EXTREME SELENIUM DEFICIENCY ON SELENIUM LEVELS IN PLANTS AND BLOOD OF GRAZING YOUNG DAIRY-CATTLE

The evaluation of 1.974 selenium levels in samples of bovine blood mai nly from the Weser-Ems region showed a high rate of selenium deficienc y in carves, young cattle and heifers ante partum. More than 50 % of c ows showed Se deficiency, too. After fertilizing of pasture grounds ex hibiting extreme selenium deficiency with 35 g of selenium per hectare , the authors found significantly positive effects on plant selenium l evels and in blood of grazing young cattle. At the same time, the sele nium contents in blood of the control animals decreased extremely as t he result from being cut off from the selenium supply in the young sto ck shed during wintertime.