Abstract: In order to provide suitable materials and preservation time for the molecular biological research of Castanea henryi, genomic DNA was extracted from different tissues of C.henryi and preserved in different periods. The results showed that, the longer the leaves were preserved, the lower the concentration of genomic DNA was extracted. The optimum period for plant materials preserved in silica was 10 d and the reliable preservation time should be less than 10 months. Genomic DNA was extracted from all materials tested except nuts. Though the purity and production of genomic DNA was different, all the values of OD₂₆₀/OD₂₈₀ were above 1.8. The bands which produced by agarose gel electrophoresis showed no degradation, except those from nuts. Furthermore, clear and bright products of ISSR-PCR indicated that the extracted genomic DNA could be used in ISSR analysis, especially those from the tender and mature leaves, leaf bud and inflorescence．

Key words: Castanea henryi Rehd＆Wils., CTAB method, different tissues, ISSR