BACKGROUND AND AIMS Synchrotron- and laboratory-based micro-X-ray fluorescence (µ-XRF) is a powerful technique to quantify the distribution of elements in physically large intact samples, including live plants, at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. However, analysis of light elements with atomic number (Z) less than that of phosphorus is challenging due to the need for a vacuum which of course is not compatible with live plant material, or the availability of a helium environment. METHOD A new laboratory µ-XRF instrument was used to examine the effects of silicon (Si) on the manganese (Mn) status of soybean (Glycine max) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) grown at elevated Mn in solution. The use of a helium environment allowed for highly sensitive detection of both Si and Mn to determine their distribution. KEY RESULTS The µXRF analysis revealed that when Si was added to the nutrient solution, the Si also accumulated in the base of the trichomes, being co-located with the Mn and reducing the darkening of the trichomes. Like soybean, the addition of Si did not reduce the concentrations of Mn in accumulations despite seeming to reduce its adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS The ability to gain information on the dynamics of the metallome or ionome within living plants or excised hydrated tissues can offer valuable insights into their ecophysiology, and laboratory µ-XRF is likely to become available to more plant scientists for use in their research.

中文翻译：

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时间分辨实验室微 X 射线荧光揭示了大豆和向日葵中与锰毒性相关的硅分布


背景和目标基于同步加速器和实验室的微 X 射线荧光 (μ-XRF) 是一种强大的技术，可在室温和大气压下量化物理大型完整样品（包括活植物）中的元素分布。然而，原子序数 (Z) 小于磷的轻元素的分析具有挑战性，因为需要真空，这当然与活植物材料不兼容，或者需要氦环境。方法 使用新型实验室 µ-XRF 仪器来检查硅 (Si) 对在高锰溶液中生长的大豆 (Glycine max) 和向日葵 (Helianthus annuus) 中锰 (Mn) 状态的影响。使用氦环境可以对 Si 和 Mn 进行高灵敏度检测，以确定它们的分布。主要结果 µXRF 分析表明，当将 Si 添加到营养液中时，Si 也会积聚在毛状体的基部，与 Mn 位于同一位置，并减少毛状体的变暗。与大豆一样，添加硅并没有降低锰积累的浓度，尽管似乎减少了其不利影响。结论 获得活体植物或切下的水合组织内金属组或离子组动态信息的能力可以为了解其生态生理学提供有价值的见解，并且实验室 µ-XRF 可能会被更多的植物科学家用于他们的研究。