Large-scale general collection of wild-plant DNA in Mustang, Nepal

The deposit of DNA samples of wild plants that correspond to voucher specimens is highly informative and greatly enhances the value of the herbarium specimens. The Society of Himalayan Botany (SHB), Tokyo, has assembled general collections of flowering plants of the Sino-Himalayan region for more than 40 years. In a trial of the collection of these types of bioresources for use in basic research, we adopted FTA cards, which have recently been used for large-scale collection of DNA of humans, microorganisms and viruses, for the general collection of DNA samples of wild plants during a botanical expedition in Mustang, Nepal, in 2003. Three hundred and fifty-five plant specimens from Mustang, Nepal, were collected along with the corresponding DNA samples. Examination of the quality of the DNA samples by PCR demonstrated the utility of the collection system. The identification of all of the specimens collected, as well as data from the specimens, will be presented on the Flora of Nepal Database website (http://ti.um.u-tokyo.ac.jp/default.htm), which is open to the public. The DNA resources will be identified on the website and distributed openly by the SHB to researchers worldwide for basic research.