State of the art of trace element determinations in plant matrices: Determination of the chemical elements in plant matrices, an overview

The quality and significance of analytical data on the abundance of chemical elements in plant materials is of paramount importance. Certified reference materials enable the quality of the analytical data to be assessed, but not the overall quality of the measurements. The requirements and sources of error from the conception of the need to obtain the data, for some defined purpose, sampling, preparation of the sample and other factors prior to the analysis for element content are described. Attention is focused upon the need to be quite certain that the correct type of data are obtained; ancillary knowledge gleaned from other disciplines of direct relevance to a study needs to be considered. Optimisation of analytical methods is considered, in order that the data can be obtained in an economic manner. Limitations of laboratory based experiments to determine fluxes of elements through plant-soil systems are commented upon together with a need for realistic models which have been validated in the field.