International plant‐analytical exchange and quality assurance in a trace element laboratory

Abstract

Our results of analyses of the plant samples within the International Plant‐analytical Exchange (IPE) program are discussed here. IPE is organized as proficiency test by the Wageningen Agricultural University (NL) and our laboratory has been participating in it since the middle of 1992. The agreement of our data with statistical estimates of true values derived from the compiled results supplied by all laboratories is satisfactory and confirms that procedures used in our laboratory and the whole analytical system lead to accurate results for plant materials. Moreover, remaining part of plant material No. 980 (Gerbera) is used with success as internal reference material in quality control (control charts) in our trace element laboratory.