RESUMO
In order to investigate the mutation characteristics and to further examine the genetic variation of mutant sunflower (Helianthus annuus) obtained in plants grown from seeds exposed to space conditions, only the mature tissues such as leaf and flower could be used for DNA extraction after mutation characteristics were confirmed. The rich contents of polysaccharides, tannins, secondary metabolites, and polyphenolics made it difficult to isolate high-quality DNA from mature leaves of sunflower according to previous reports. Based on the comparison of the differences in previously reported protocols, a modified method for the extraction of high-quality DNA was developed. Using this protocol, the DNA isolated from sunflower was high in quality and suitable for restriction digestion (EcoRI, HindII, BamHI), random amplified polymorphic DNA study and further molecular research. Therefore, the modified protocol was suitable for investigating the genetic variation of sunflower using mature leaf DNA.