Analysis of bryophytes as trace evidence using X-ray fluorescence.

Bryophytes are considered as the trace evidence. Forensic botany comes into play when plants have a link to criminal activity. The application of plant sciences to legal issues is known as forensic botany. This involves using plants or plant-derived products as evidence to help solve crimes like murder, kidnapping, etc., as well as to help determine the cause of death of the victim. Plants are resistant, easily transferable, and easily accessible. When botanical specimens are deteriorated and lacking in physical features, many plant materials cannot be distinguished and identified to the species level by conventional morphological characteristics. Examining bryophytes can help with associative reasoning, investigation, and providing details for crime scene reconstruction. Since they are more abundant, they are easily transferable and can be an important piece of evidence linking a suspect, victim, or crime scene. The percentage of an element inside a plant differs depending on the natural components of each plant, just like the medullary index of a hair is similar and unique. We use this uniqueness to calculate the surface and transit route, estimate the value, and calculate the percentage of the element that is present. Using bryophyte as trace evidence, the location of a criminal can be determined by analyzing macro elements through XRF. By collecting samples from various regions of the country, we can show the study's consistency. To determine the transit path of the criminal or victim, 25 bryophyte samples were collected and examined using X-Ray Fluorescence. This study focused on identifying the surfaces on which the bryophytes grew based on their nutrient values. It was found that the nutrient values could effectively differentiate between different groups. The final interpretation of the bryophyte surfaces was achieved by utilizing the tabulation developed by Dennis and Jeffrey.