Nitrogen determination in plant samples by fast neutron activation analysis

For the non-destructive deermination of the nitrogen content in plant samples 14-MeV neutron activation analysis was applied. Using powder samples of 0.7 g, irradiation time of 1 h and measuring time of 10 min, the accuracy of the determination is about +15%. The potassium content of the plant samples was determined by X-ray fluorescence analysis and correction was made for their contribution to the nitrogen activities.This work was supported in part by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.