ABSTRACT

For many years after the discovery of the two stable isotopes of B (¹⁰B,¹¹B) in 1920 it was not used routinely as a tracer in the biological sciences until the development of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in the early 1980s. This development provided an impetus to the study of the role of B in plant nutrition, although many seminal discoveries were made beforehand without the aid of isotopes. Thus, much information on the mobility and physiological function of B in plants is post-1985. Boron is unusual in plant nutrition in that it is taken up by plants through roots or foliage as undissociated boric acid, unlike other essential elements that are taken up in ionic form. The within-plant mobility of B in species important in agriculture and horticulture is examined in the present review including the role of sugar alcohols in xylem to phloem transfer. The molecular basis of its movement at the cellular level via transporters as revealed through the strategic application of enriched ¹¹B and ¹⁰B is addressed. Few studies have been carried out on B use efficiency by crops and results show great variability. Suggestions for future applications of tracing with ¹⁰B and ¹¹B are provided.

摘要

在发现 B 的两种稳定同位素 ( ¹⁰ B, ¹¹B) 在 1920 年，直到 1980 年代早期电感耦合等离子体质谱仪的发展，它才被常规用作生物科学中的示踪剂。这一发展为研究 B 在植物营养中的作用提供了动力，尽管许多开创性的发现是在没有同位素帮助的情况下事先取得的。因此，关于植物中 B 的迁移性和生理功能的大量信息是 1985 年之后的。硼在植物营养中的不同寻常之处在于它作为未解离的硼酸通过根或叶被植物吸收，这与其他以离子形式吸收的基本元素不同。本综述研究了 B 在农业和园艺重要物种中的植物内迁移性，包括糖醇在木质部向韧皮部转移中的作用。^解决了11B和^10B。很少有关于作物对硼的利用效率的研究，结果显示出很大的变异性。^{提供了对10} B 和¹¹ B跟踪的未来应用的建议。