Boron (B) plays a critical role in plant reproduction and growth, and thus, has implications for the world's food supply; however, its role is not yet completely understood. A key component of this research area relies on the elucidation of the B distribution and concentration in normal and mutant tissues. Boron distribution and concentration could be measured by neutron capture radiography (NCR), but to date, there have been few published studies in this regard. NCR should be able to provide data in high resolution not easily obtained by other methods of analysis (e.g., azomethine H colorimetric test, ICP-AES). We have validated NCR for its use in maize using the 10-megawatt facility at MU-Research Reactor Center. Calibration standards and leaf tissue were attached to CR-39 detector plastic and irradiated for 1 minute. The detectors were etched in 6.25 N aqueous NaOH at 98 �C for 25 minutes. Regions of detector, 1 x 1 mm in size, were analyzed by a TASL track reader. Reasonable precision of standards from 1 � 200 ppm B-10 (5 � 1000 ppm natural B) was obtained with a limit of detection between 1 � 5 ppm B-10. NCR values were correlated with standard ICP-MS. DOE Project Number: DE-SC0002040 (SS Jurisson, PI) provided partial support of this research.

Neutron capture radiography of boron distribution in maize

248th National Meeting (2014)

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