Evaluation of five genomic DNA extraction methods for downstream molecular applications in fresh and herbarium leaves of Astragalus fridae

The protection of genetic resources is crucial for safeguarding national assets as natural resources face various threats such as climate change and changing land use. To conserve endangered species such as Astragalus fridae, an endemic species of gypsum soils of Semnan province (Iran) which is on the brink of extinction due to limited distribution and habitat destruction, establishing a gene bank is essential. To ensure the survival of this species, it is necessary to extract high-quality and high-quantity DNA. The present survey, has evaluated five genome extraction methods including Protocol A (main CTAB), Protocol B (CTAB without β-mercaptoethanol), Protocol C (CTAB without ammonium acetate), Protocol D (the modified Murray & Thompson method), and Protocol E (GeneAll Plant Kit), to determine their ability to extract DNA from fresh and herbarium leaves of A. fridae. The quality and quantity of DNA were assessed using gel electrophoresis, spectrophotometry, and usability of the purified DNA tested by PCR of the ITS region of nuclear ribosomal DNA. Protocol D yielded the highest quality of the extracted genome from fresh leaves, and Protocol A, extracted the highest DNA concentration from fresh leaves. Although Protocols B and C extracted a reasonable amount of genome of acceptable quality with dry leaves, the ITS region was not amplified in these samples, rendering them unsuitable for DNA extraction of A. fridae.