NUCLEAR MICROPROBE ANALYSIS OF N-14 AND N-15 IN SOYBEAN LEAVES

A combination of two nuclear microprobe exploitation modes of spectros copy has been developed to detect N-14 and N-15 in plant tissues. N-14 was determined by proton elastic scattering analysis (PESA) and N-15 by proton induced gamma ray emission (PIGE). The advantages of each mo de are outlined. The preparation method of the soybean samples which a llows the preservation of the tissue structure is described. After che cking the linearity of the quantitative evaluations using calibration curves, we have studied the irradiation damages, evaluating the nitrog en mass loss with the nuclear microprobe facilities of Bruyeres-le-Cha tel. An experimental approach for quantitative N-14 and N-15 analysis by these nuclear methods in cryofixed and resin embedded soybean leave s is proposed.