A Non-DNA-Based Marker Technique to Differentiate between Amaranthus pumilus (a Federally Protected, Threatened Plant Species) from among more Common Amaranth Cultivars

Abstract

This study demonstrated that SDS-PAGE fingerprinting could be used as a non-DNA-based screening methodology to rapidly and easily differentiate Amaranthus pumilus (a federally protected, threatened annual of the U.S. Atlantic coast) from a large variety of more common amaranth cultivars. This method would prove extremely useful not only in species identification but also during plant breeding trials where protein profiles could be used as genetic markers to distinguish hybrids from plants resulting from self-pollination.