Drill-assisted genomic DNA extraction from Botrytis cinerea

Current DNA extraction protocols for genomic DNA from Botrytis cinerea almost always start with mycelium that has been reduced to powder with liquid N(2) in a mortar, and this makes their application to a large number of samples slow and cumbersome. Here we present an adaptation of an existing method [Möller et al. (1992) Nucleic Acids Res 20: 6115-6116] for which the initial steps have been modified, including the homogenization of the fungus with sand and the aid of a common household drill. This method allows the processing of large number of samples in much shorter times and generates an average of 4 mug DNA per sample, of sufficient quality for use in PCR and Southern blotting.