Differentiation analysis of boron isotopic fractionation in different forms within plant organ samples

As a critical micronutrient, boron (B) plays an important role in plant growth and embryonic development. To further understand the effects of B uptake, transportation and isotopic fractionation, the contents and isotopic compositions of hydro-soluble B in the sap and structural B fixed in the cell within individual plant tissues were investigated. The B isotope ratio was determined by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The δ¹¹B values in hydro-soluble and structural B in the investigated plant samples ranged from -1.57‰ to +11.30‰ and from +6.57‰ to +16.64‰, respectively. Different fractionation factors of the B isotopes, in the range of 0.9954-1.0150, were observed in these samples, indicating that in most plant tissues, the heavy isotope (¹¹B) was preferentially enriched in structural B, which was fixed into the cell. However, there was a reversal in the fractionation of B isotopic compositions in the fruit samples compared with the other plant tissue samples. It is more powerful to examine the molecular mechanisms of B transport, uptake and utilization than the use of limited plant organ samples containing a mixture of hydro-soluble and structural B within different intra-plant compartments and in inter-plant interactions. These isotopic shifts, which may be used as important isotopic indicators, contribute to the surface processes interactions in the plant-soil system and the knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of B in the uptake and absorption by different plant species in nature.