1987/11/01 by Jeff J. Doyle, Elizabeth E. Dickson, Elizabeth Dickson · 5 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Plant Disease Resistance and Genetics #Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases #Plant Pathogens and Resistance
paper · doi:10.2307/1221122
Summary A major obstacle facing many taxonomists interested in analyzing variation at the DNA level is the preservation of their plant material, since plants are often collected far from laboratory facilities. We have studied effect of several commonly used preservation techniques on the quality of DNA isolated from preserved tissue. Chemical treatments (FAA, ethanol, Carnoy's solution, chloroformethanol) all result in DNA degradation; drying tissue, on the other hand, preserves DNA integrity, at least over a several month period. High molecular weight DNA suitable for restriction endonuclease digestion and analysis by DNA hybridization was isolated from dried leaves up to two years old. This suggests that recently‐prepared dried specimens may represent an alternative to fresh tissue in molecular plant systematic studies.