Combination of the 87Sr/86Sr ratio and light stable isotopic values (δ13C, δ15N and δD) for identifying the geographical origin of winter wheat in China

This study aims to investigate whether isotopic signatures can be used to develop reliable fingerprints for discriminating the geographical origin of Chinese winter wheat, and to evaluate the discrimination effects of delta C-13, delta N-15 and delta D, alone or with Sr-87/Sr-86. In this study, the values of delta C-13, delta N-15 and delta D, and the Sr-87/Sr-86 ratios of wheat and provenance soils from three regions were determined. Significant differences were found in all parameters of wheat and Sr-87/Sr-86 in soil extract (reflecting the bioavailable fraction of soil) among different regions. A significantly positive correlation was observed between the Sr-87/Sr-86 ratios of wheat and soil extracts. An overall correct classification rate of 77.8% was obtained for discriminating wheat from three regions based on light stable isotopes (delta C-13, delta N-15 and delta D). The correct classification rate of 98.1% could be obtained with the combination of the Sr-87/Sr-86 ratio and the light stable isotopic values. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.