Isolation of DNA from Taraxacum Officinale for Forensic Botany

Forensic botany refers to the application of plant biology disciplines in crime investigations. Since plants are widespread in most habitats, they often provide valuable clues in criminal investigations. Hence, the primary role of forensic botany is to establish a connection between the victim or suspect and the crime scene. The forensic applications of forensic botany include many aspects including recognition of plant evidence at the crime scene, collection and preservation of plant evidence, maintenance of the chain of custody, and a testimony for the admissibility of this evidence in court. For the development of new efficient methods for plant identification and individualization, the initial step is optimization of DNA isolation from plant material. The aim of this work is to optimize the DNA isolation protocol of different leaf and non-leaf plant tissues, including pollen grains, using the salting out method from Taraxacum officinale, a species of the Asteraceae family. Since the species is very common in ecosystems with antropogenic influence, the need to optimize the DNA isolation protocol is of high importance. The efficiency of the isolation protocol was evaluated using spectrophotometry (concentration and purity) and gel electrophoresis. The results demonstrate that salting out can be used for the isolation of DNA from Taraxacum officinale. However, optimization is required, depending on the part of the plant from which DNA is extracted.