Suitability of six extraction methods for isolating a large quantity of high-quality RNA from NZ free-draining stony soil

High-quality RNA from soil is essential for investigating the functionality of soil microbial communities. The affordability the RNA-Seq method enables innovative studies of whole ecosystems but relies on a high quality and quantity of RNA. Different types of soils have different physicochemical properties, and therefore RNA extraction methods are usually investigated for each soil type separately. This study investigated six RNA extraction methods from a free-draining Balmoral/Lismore stony silt loam soil. Four commercial RNA extraction kits and two manual RNA extraction methods were assessed for their suitability for high throughput, purity, integrity, and quantity of RNA and its suitability for RNA-Seq applications, processing time, and toxicity. Three RNA extraction methods satisfied the majority of the criteria, thus allowing large-scale functional studies of soil microbiome.