Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA ICP-MS) has emerged as a robust tool for directly measuring trace elements in solid, intact samples. Laser ablation requires minimal sample preparation, whereas more conventional bulk sample analysis entails preliminary size reduction and acid digestion, and hence risks sample contamination and volatilization losses. LA ICP-MS may allow for rapid determination of elemental constitution in plants at low detection limits
however, application of LA ICP-MS on plant tissues is challenged by sample heterogeneity, as well as the lack of recognized standards for calibration and criteria for sample preparation. We analyzed needle samples from an adult jack pine (Pinus banksiana L.) tree through LA ICP-MS using a widely available NIST SRM 610 quartz calibration standard, with