Nondestructive Mineral Imaging of Chinese Chive Leaves Withered by Physiological Damage Using Microbeam Synchrotron Radiation X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis.

A significant problem encountered in Chinese chives (Allium tuberosum) grown in greenhouses is the reduction in the yield and quality due to symptoms of withered leaf tips. Withered leaf tips of three Chinese chive cultivars were nondestructively analyzed by microbeam synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (μ-SR-XRF) imaging. Dead, wilting, and healthy parts of the leaves exhibited significant variations in the mineral composition. The Ca/K X-ray intensity ratios were significantly increased with the degree of withering.