Digital PCR in agriculture and plant testing

Digital PCR for plant and soil samples

Digital PCR (dPCR) is a highly resilient molecular method used in plant science and agriculture for the absolute quantification of nucleic acids in complex, inhibitor-rich matrices. The method is well-suited to challenging samples, such as inhibitor-rich soil or plant matrices. As such, dPCR is increasingly used in plant science and agricultural applications to:

• Trace genetically modified (GM) plant components
• Identify pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms
• Develop biopesticides and biofertilizers
• Support plant species traceability
• Study structural and functional genetics to improve crop yield or resist disease
• Soil profiling

Why use nanoplate dPCR for testing of soil and plant samples

• No need for reference material and calibrations – dPCR uses absolute quantification based on counting of individual molecules, making it ideal for analysis where standards are difficult to find, such as for niche transgenic sequences or unexpected events
• Higher resistance to PCR inhibitors – Since dPCR partitions the sample into thousands of reactions, inhibitors and their effect on the amplification are diluted; this includes humic acids, fulvic acids and acidic polysaccharides found in soil and root tissues or polyphenols, polysaccharides, pectin and xylan in plant species
• Multiplexing of up to 12 targets with nanoplates suitable for high-throughput capabilities – for rapidly detecting or screening of pathogens in suspicious samples or for enabling high-throughput, compliant analytical workflows in protein engineering