Greenness as an Indicator of DNA Quality in Herbarium Specimens

Herbarium collections are becoming increasingly important sources of DNA for plant research, yet the recovery of usable sequence data from preserved plant material remains difficult. The DNA contained in herbarium specimens is often degraded, fragmented, chemically damaged and has usually undergone different methods of preservation. This study tests whether leaf greenness can be used as an indicator of DNA quality and DNA barcode recovery success in herbarium specimens.