Forensic botanical researches on cultivated fiber plants in Alfred Heilbronn Botanical Garden

At the field of 'Forensic Botany' as a branch of forensic sciences, a great deal of information can be learned about experimental evidence obtained from crime scene investigations by using advanced biochemical and molecular biological methods. The examination of various plant materials as evidence for judicial cases is a common practice. In the revelation of the criminal cases, it is often necessary to examine the biological material at the DNA level. Recently, several DNA profiling methods have been found to be very helpful in determining plant genus, species and individual linkages. The aim of this thesis is to develop techniques to differentiate plant-derived materials from the crime scenes and to determine the criminal botanic evidences by using DNA analysis methods in criminal laboratories for the detection of fibers in industrial products made up from plant fibers. DNA izolations were made up with the cultivated fiber plants (Agave sisalana Perrine, Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn., Corchorus olitorius L., Phyllostachys bissetii McClure, Phyllostachys nigra Munro, Musa acuminata Colla (Musa zebrina Van Houtte ex Planch.), Musa ensete J.F.Gmel. (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman), Musa sapientum (Musa x paradisiaca L.), Musa acuminata x zebrina (Musa zebrina Van Houtte ex Planch.), Musa uranoscopus Colla (Musa troglodytarum L.) ve Musa ventricosa Welw. (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) obtained from Alfred Heilbronn Botanical Garden (AHBB) and industrial materials that is considered to be made up of these plants purchased from diffrent hardware stores, souvenir shops or manufacturing firms. The rbcL (RuBisCO large subunit) gene, which is specific for plants from DNA samples and obtained from chloroplast, was amplified by PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). The PCR products were subjected to enzyme digestion and run on a 2% agarose gel. As a result, it is tried to determine whether the materials produced from the plant fibers and fiber plants are compared from the same source and to develop methods to guide the future experimental studies.