Relieving efforts in palm-tree tissue sampling for population genetics
analyses.
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.