Rapid ID Technology (RIDT) in Plants: High-Speed DNA Fingerprinting in Grain Seeds for the Identification, Segregation, Purity, and Traceability of Varieties Using Labautomation Robotics

A rapid and inexpensive DNA diagnostic platform for fingerprinting Cdn. registered, wheat varieties has been developed. Two current, real-time applications being used in Canada include the determination of purity (% contamination) of grain shipments in rail cars and the monitoring of field plots that represent a midge varietal blend. The quantification of a sample is accomplished by fingerprinting single seeds and a sample having a mixture of varieties can be assayed. The Rapid ID Technology (RIDT) platform enables high-speed, high-throughput, robotic labautomation and low-cost single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-DNA fingerprinting in wheat. The inexpensive seed DNA extraction method, rapid PCR amplification, and miniaturization of the Invader assay for SNP scoring are all paramount for fingerprinting millions of single seeds per year in numerous rail cars/field plots at a low cost. The cost factor is the dominant concern in any fingerprinting program and the total cost for consumables for a single marker tested is estimated at less than $0.60 per seed. The RIDT platform can also segregate closely related cultivars, an important characteristic since many varieties have a common genetic background. The results “from seed to fingerprint data” at a central lab can then be transferred electronically to any location using a laboratory information management system.