METHODS OF TRACING AND/OR SOURCING PLANT MATERIAL

• US 20200131097A1
• Filed: 10/30/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2018
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents (University of Arizona)
• Original Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents (University of Arizona)
• Inventors: Gordon, Gwyneth, Skulan, Joseph, Ladopoulos, Odysseas
• Application Number:
  US16/668,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20200131097A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 18/20 Culture media, e.g. compost
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 22/00 Cultivation of specific crops or plants not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 22/15 Leaf crops, e.g. lettuce or spinach
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 22/25 Root crops, e.g. potatoes, yams, beet or wasabi
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 22/35 Bulbs; Alliums, e.g. onions or leeks
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 24/10 based on or containing inorganic material
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 31/00 Soilless cultivation, e.g. hydroponics growth substrates therefor A01G24/00; cultivation of seaweed A01G33/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/00 Botany in general
• CPC Class Codes: C05G 1/00 Mixtures of fertilisers belonging individually to different subclasses of C05
• CPC Class Codes: C05G 3/00 Mixtures of one or more fertilisers with additives not having a specially fertilising activity
• CPC Class Codes: C05G 5/23 Solutions
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2033/245 for agricultural purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0098 Plants or trees wood G01N33/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/24 Earth materials G01N33/42 takes precedence

Abstract

Disclosed are methods of producing nutrient solutions having unique isotopic fingerprints; methods of producing traceable plants; and methods of identifying the source of a traceable plant that does not rely on expensive artificially separated isotopes. Plants grown with these nutrient solutions will have unique isotopic fingerprints that will be difficult or impossible to counterfeit.

Claims

1-22. -22. (canceled)

23. A method of producing a traceable plant having a unique isotopic fingerprint, the method comprising:

adding to a growth medium a nutrient solution having a unique radiogenic isotopic fingerprint of strontium (Sr) and/or neodymium (Nd);

and/or a nutrient solution with a unique mass-dependent isotopic fingerprint of strontium (Sr), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), boron (B), chlorine (Cl), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), and/or zinc (Zn); and

growing a plant in the enriched growth medium.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein:

the growth medium is a hydroponic or aeroponic growth medium; and

the nutrient solution with a unique radiogenic isotopic fingerprint and/or the nutrient solution with a unique mass-dependent isotopic fingerprint is added to the hydroponic or aeroponic growth medium prior to exposing the plant root to the hydroponic or aeroponic growth medium.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the volume of the nutrient solution with a unique radiogenic isotopic fingerprint and/or mass-dependent isotopic fingerprint is at least 20% of the volume of the growth medium.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein:

the growth medium is soil,

the plant is grown in a container, and

the nutrient solution with a unique radiogenic isotopic fingerprint and/or mass-dependent isotopic fingerprint is evenly mixed with the soil in the container.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising inducing drought stress and/or nutrient stress in the plant prior to growing the plant in the enriched growth medium to increase uptake of isotopes in the enriched growth medium by the plant.

48. The method of claim 23, wherein the plant is a high value crop selected from the group consisting of cannabis, ginseng, a gourmet mushroom, a gourmet garlic, and a rare herb.

28. A method of identifying the source of a traceable plant, the method comprising:

providing a sample from a plant;

removing extrinsic material from the sample;

measuring a radiogenic isotopic fingerprint and/or a mass-dependent isotopic fingerprint of the sample; and

if the radiogenic isotopic fingerprint and/or the mass-dependent isotopic fingerprint of the sample matches the radiogenic isotopic fingerprint and/or the mass-dependent isotopic fingerprint of an enriched growth medium, identifying the user of the enriched growth medium as the source of the plant.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein measuring the radiogenic isotopic fingerprint and/or the mass-dependent isotopic fingerprint of the plant comprises determining, in the sample, the ratio of at least one of:

⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁴Sr, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁸Sr, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴²Nd, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁵Nd, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁶Nd, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁸Nd, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁵⁰Nd, ⁴²Ca/⁴⁴Ca, ²⁴Mg/²⁶Mg, ²⁵Mg/²⁶Mg, ³⁹K/⁴¹K, ¹¹B/¹⁰, ³⁷Cl/³⁵Cl, ⁶⁵Cu/⁶³Cu, ⁵⁶Fe/⁵⁷Fe, ⁵⁶Fe/⁵⁸Fe, ⁵⁷Fe/⁵⁸Fe, ⁵⁵Mn/⁵³Mn, ⁹⁴Mo/⁹⁵Mo, ⁹⁴Mo/⁹⁶Mo, ⁹⁴Mo/⁹⁷Mo, ⁹⁵Mo/⁹⁶Mo, ⁹⁵Mo/⁹⁷Mo, ⁹⁶Mo/⁹⁷Mo, ⁶⁶Zn/⁶⁷Zn, ⁶⁶Zn/⁶⁸Zn, and ⁶⁷Zn/⁶⁸Zn.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the radiogenic isotopic fingerprint and/or the mass-dependent isotopic fingerprint of the sample is measured with isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS).

33. The method of claim 28, wherein the plant is a high value crop selected from the group consisting of cannabis, ginseng, a gourmet mushroom, a gourmet garlic, and a rare herb.

29. (canceled)

32. (canceled)

34. A composition comprising:

an element selected from the group consisting of strontium (Sr), neodymium (Nd), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), boron (B), chlorine (Cl), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), zinc (Zn), and combinations thereof; and

nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in an amount sufficient to support the growth of a plant;

wherein stable isotopes of the element are present in a mixture that provides an isotopic fingerprint for tracing the source of a biological material into which the composition has been incorporated, and

the mixture of stable isotopes is selected from the group consisting of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁴Sr, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁸Sr, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴²Nd, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁵Nd, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁶Nd, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁸Nd, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁵⁰Nd, ⁴²Ca/⁴⁴Ca, ²⁴Mg/²⁶Mg, ²⁵Mg/²⁶Mg, ³⁹K/⁴¹K, ¹¹B/¹⁰, ³⁷Cl/³⁵Cl, ⁶⁵Cu/⁶³Cu, ⁵⁶Fe/⁵⁷Fe, ⁵⁶Fe/⁵⁸Fe, ⁵⁷Fe/⁵⁸Fe, ⁵⁵Mn/⁵³Mn, ⁹⁴Mo/⁹⁵Mo, ⁹⁴Mo/⁹⁶Mo, ⁹⁴Mo/⁹⁷Mo, ⁹⁵Mo/⁹⁶Mo, ⁹⁵Mo/⁹⁷Mo, ⁹⁶Mo/⁹⁷Mo, ⁶⁶Zn/⁶⁷Zn, ⁶⁶Zn/⁶⁸Zn, and ⁶⁷Zn/⁶⁸Zn, and combinations thereof.

37. The composition of claim 34, wherein the nitrogen (N) is present as a nitrate salt and/or the phosphorus (P) is present as a phosphate salt.

38. The composition of claim 34, wherein the composition is a hydroponic or aeroponic solution.

39. The composition of claim 34, wherein the concentration of the element is at least 10 ppm.

40. The composition of claim 34, wherein the composition comprises strontium (Sr) in a ratio of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of greater than 1.0.

41. The composition of claim 34, wherein the composition comprises neodymium (Nd) in a ratio of ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of greater than 0.5130 or less than 0.5100.

42. The composition of claim 34, wherein the composition is formulated as an aqueous solution or a seed treatment.

43. The composition of claim 34, further comprising an agriculturally acceptable carrier.

44. The composition of claim 34, wherein the biological material is a cell culture or a high value crop selected from the group consisting of cannabis, ginseng, a gourmet mushroom, a gourmet garlic, and a rare herb.

47. The composition of claim 43, wherein the agriculturally acceptable carrier is a dispersant, a surfactant, an additive, a thickener, an anticaking agent, a composting formulation, a granular application, diatomaceous earth, an oil, a coloring agent, a stabilizer, a preservative, or a polymer.

35-36. -36. (canceled)

45-46. -46. (canceled)