The genus Melia L., which belongs to the 'Mahogany' family Meliaceae, is a source of important phytochemicals with marked medicinal properties. Species identification in Melia is complex due to the existence of overlapping morphological features. Though Melia dubia Cav. is listed as a synonym of Melia azedarach L., it is not clear from the available literature whether they are the same species or different, and the species complexity still remains unresolved. In the present study, ten accessions of M. dubia and M. azedarach were analysed by DNA barcoding using three chloroplast DNA markers (rbcL, matK, and trnH-psbA), and one nuclear marker (ITS2). Intra-specific divergence was not found in any of the four markers. However, the inter-specific divergence between M. azedarach and M. dubia ranged between 0.3% (rbcL) and 4.7% (ITS2) for individual markers, and for the combined dataset, it was 8.5%. Among the four markers, ITS2 was found to be the most suitable marker for

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There are a number of conventional methods and kits available for human genomic DNA isolation. These methods however come with limitations such as high cost, time-consuming, hazardous, and complex steps. We propose an extended and modified kanai's method that can be used for DNA isolation from various human specimens (blood, clot, saliva, urine, and cell lines) and from Gram-negative bacterial samples. The DNA isolated by this method was tested for suitability in genetic analysis techniques such as PCR RFLP, ARMS PCR, and High Resolution Melt analysis. The DNA isolated had high purity (mean A 260 /A 280 = 1.7 to 1.8) and was stable at 4°C and -20°C. This method is suitable for very low volume of blood (20 µl), long stored blood (3 years), and also for noninvasive samples. The DNA gave consistent and accurate results in PCR RFLP, ARMS, and HRM techniques. We have demonstrated that the DNA isolation method is an effective method for fresh blood, blood clot, saliva, urine and cell line samples and we prove its applicability in genotyping studies.