DNA extraction and anatomic characterization in dried heartwood from fabaceae species
The botanical family Fabaceae is the most representative in terms of diversity in Brazil, and it contains species of great importance to the domestic and international timber trade. In spite of numerous attempts to combat illegal logging, this practice is still common in Brazil, making it necessary to seek more accurate techniques for identifying wood species. This study aimed to test different protocols for extracting DNA from dried heartwood of Amburana cearensis (Fr. Allem) A. C. Smith (Cerejeira), Dypterix odorata and Peltogyne confertiflora. Additionally, these species were characterised through visual inspection and scanning electron microscopy. Five DNA extraction protocols were evaluated with six replicates. DNA amplification was conducted for the rbcL gene, a molecular marker of conserved regions in plants. It was possible to extract and amplify DNA from the dried heartwood of the tested species, with Protocol 2 (QIAGEN kit) being the most efficient.