What you should know about FRIN’s DNA barcoding project

The Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN)’s Principal Research Officer and Head of Biotechnology Section, Babatope Olomola, says there is a body of knowledge the institute is set to contribute to the global field of biotechnology via its ongoing DNA barcoding project.

Olomola said, “We have DNA barcodin gongoing. There are hundreds of thousands of plant species in the world, and majority are in the tropics, in Africa. Nigeria is within the tropics. Most of these species have not been properly identified to the sub species level.

“Some sub species look alike, but if you check them genetically there will be some differences.

“What we are doing here is to go into the forest, take pictures, collect leaf samples, and if possible uproot seedlings of all these species, identify them morphologically and then isolate the DNA.

“We check interrelationship between species and differences and group them properly to the family they should belong. Take oranges for example, if you line 10 of them that look similar, there will be differences among them like in sweetness. We aim to be able to identify the DNA of each type and the exact characteristics it will give you, and associate the type with a name.

• Taking advantage of DNA facility

“With pawpaw, you can identify them with the leaf. But some have round pawpaw fruits, others are oblong. But through this DNA barcoding, we are able to differentiate them from each other genetically. This is the kind of knowledge we are making available to the whole world.

“There are certain species peculiar to us here in Nigeria, some of these are in the eastern part, some are in the west and so on. Work on these species is peculiar to us in FRIN.

“After the identification and characterisation of these species we generate barcodes for them. We are getting the minutest and most correct details of each species, and we will publicise the information soon.”