Abstract

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a relatively simple technique that amplifies a DNA template to produce specific DNA fragments in vitro. Basic PCR is commonplace in many molecular biology labs where it is used to amplify DNA fragments and detect DNA or RNA sequences within a cell or environment.  The method is rapid, cost efficient, and when combined with suitable internal controls can be applied to the detection and quantification of specific soil organisms or pathogens on a large-scale basis. In the present study, we have adapted this approach to soil samples, providing for a simple extraction protocol which can be used directly with PCR amplification without additional DNA purification

Key words: DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), soil organisms.