ABSTRACT
- The young leaves are the main source of nucleic acids for population
genetic studies in palm-trees; however, the access to this tissue may
be limited by specific features of each species. Using root tissues as
an alternative source of nucleic acids could facilitate the sampling
in large populations.
- This study tests root tissue viability as an alternative nucleic acids
source (root vs. leaf) and explores different protocols (tissue
storage and DNA purification methods) to obtain high-quality DNA
samples.
- The results showed no significant differences in DNA concentration and
quality for the comparisons of tissue source (leaf vs. root) and DNA
purification method (manual vs. kit). For tissue storage method, DNA
concentration was significantly higher for root tissues stored in 70%
and 90% alcohol solutions versus those obtained from leaf tissue,
however for the quality parameters, no differences were found.
- Results showed the effective potential of using root tissue as an
alternative source for nucleic acids, which could facilitate
populations sampling of palm-tree species for future studies and this
methodological alternative could be applied to other plant systems
with similar sampling challenges.