TY - JOUR A1 - Geilert, Sonja A1 - Vogl, Jochen A1 - Rosner, M. A1 - Eichert, T. T1 - Boron isotope variability related to boron speciation (change during uptake and transport) in bell pepper plants and SI traceable n(11B)/n(10B) ratios for plant reference materials N2 - Rationale: Boron (B) is an essential micronutrient in plants and its isotope variations are used to gain insights into plant metabolism, which is important for crop plant cultivation. B isotope variations were used to trace intra‐plant fractionation mechanisms in response to the B concentration in the irrigation water spanning the range from B depletion to toxic levels. Methods: A fully validated analytical procedure based on multi‐collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC‐ICP‐MS), sample decomposition and B Matrix separation was applied to study B isotope fractionation. The Validation was accomplished by establishing a complete uncertainty budget and by applying reference materials, yielding expanded measurement uncertainties of 0.8‰ for pure boric acid solutions and ≤1.5‰ for processed samples. With this validated procedure SI traceable B isotope amount ratios were determined in plant reference materials for the first time. Results: The B isotope compositions of Irrigation water and bell pepper samples suggest passive diffusion of the heavy 11B isotope into the roots during low to high B concentrations while uptake of the light 10B isotope was promoted during B depletion, probably by active processes. A systematic enrichment of the heavy 11B isotope in higher located plant parts was observed (average Δ11Bleaf‐roots = 20.3 ± 2.8‰ (1 SD)), possibly by a facilitated transport of the heavy 11B isotope to growing Meristems by B transporters. Conclusions: The B isotopes can be used to identify plant metabolism in Response to the B concentration in the irrigation water and during intra‐plant B transfer. The large B isotope fractionation within the plants demonstrates the importance of biological B cycling for the global B cycle. KW - isotope fractionation KW - boron KW - delta value KW - metabolism KW - bell pepper KW - SI traceability KW - measurement uncertainty PY - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.8455 SN - 1097-0231 SN - 0951-4198 VL - 33 IS - 13 SP - 1137 EP - 1147 PB - John Wiley & Sons Ltd. AN - OPUS4-48213 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -