A STUDY OF THE DISTRIBUTION AND UPTAKE OF BORON IN MANGO FRUITS USING NEUTRON-CAPTURE-RADIOGRAPHY

The method of neutron-capture-radiography (NCR) was used to study the distribution of boron in mango fruit. There was a regular decrease of the concentration of natural boron from the skin (83.9 ppm, dry weight) to the interior of the fruit (2.4 ppm, dry weight, 5.6 mm deep in the fruit). When drops of a solution of (B-10) BO3H3 were placed on the fruit surface, boron accumulated in restricted zones, within the fruit skin, which apparently corresponded to skin secretory-glands. The apparent coefficient of diffusion of boric acid from these zones of high boron accumulation to the interior of the fruit was of the order of 1.6 x 10(-12) m2 s-1.