Author(s)

Sepideh Pakpour, Snizhana V. Olishevska, Shiv O. Prasher, Abbas S. Milani, Martin R. Chénier

Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, Canada.
Department of Bioresource Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Department of Bioresource Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada Department of Animal Science, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada Department of Animal Science, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
School of Engineering, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, Canada.

There is an increased interest in the extraction of nucleic acids from various environmental samples since culture-independent molecular techniques contribute to deepen and broaden the understanding of a greater portion of uncultivable microorganisms. Due to difficulties to select the optimum DNA extraction method in view of downstream molecular analyses, this article presents a straightforward mathematical framework for comparing some of the most commonly used methods. Four commercial DNA extraction kits and two physical-chemical methods (bead-beating and freeze-thaw) were compared for the extraction of DNA under several quantitative DNA analysis criteria: yield of extraction, purity of extracted DNA (A260/280 and A260/230 ratios), degradation degree of DNA, easiness of PCR amplification, duration of extraction, and cost per extraction. From a practical point of view, it is unlikely that a single DNA extraction strategy can be optimum for all selected criteria. Hence, a systematic Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was employed to compare the methods. The PowerSoil^? DNA Isolation Kit was systematically defined as the best performing method for extracting DNA from soil samples. More specifically, for soil:manure and soil:manure:biochar mixtures, the PowerSoil^?DNA Isolation Kit method performed best, while for neat soil samples its alternative version gained the first rank.

DNA Extraction; Agricultural Soil; Biochar; Poultry Manure; Multiple Criteria Decision-Making;Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution

Pakpour, S. , Olishevska, S. , Prasher, S. , Milani, A. and Chénier, M. (2013) DNA extraction method selection for agricultural soil using TOPSIS multiple criteria decision-making model. American Journal of Molecular Biology, 3, 215-228. doi: 10.4236/ajmb.2013.34028.