DNA extraction from a maize (Zea mays L.) seed without damaging germination ability

Abstract

DNA extraction with reliable purity and concentration is essential for most of the molecular genetics studies. Extracting DNA from young leaves in seedling stage is advantageous because it causes less damage to remaining plant which can be further used for phenotypic analysis. DNA extraction from seeds is even more advantageous in terms of saving time, labor, space, and cost for germination. Maize is one of the most important food and feed sources and provides great materials for genetic and breeding studies which are accompanied by genotyping and phenotyping. We present seed DNA extraction method which does not cause damage the seed’s germination ability. DNA was extracted using cetyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide method or a commercial DNA extraction kit from the seed fragment, and the quantity and quality of the DNA were examined. Seed germination was tested for proportional seed cuts at 0, 10, 30, and 50% of the distal end of a seed, proportionally by weight. Extracting DNA from the distal seed fragments resulted in high-quality and sufficient amount of DNA. Germination rates were not significantly reduced when seed cuts were made at 10 or 30% of seed weight. DNA extraction from seeds cut can be an efficient way to obtain samples for genotyping and phenotyping. Moreover, it can be applied for high-throughput DNA extraction in maize and possibly to other smaller seeds.