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The effects of Alfalfa mosaic virus ( AMV) infection on essential oil ( EO) content and composition of a Sweet Basil cv. Gigante di Napoli were evaluated. A 10-fold lower extraction yield from infected plants was observed, suggesting that morphological alterations induced by the disease may affect abundance and efficacy of secretive tissues. Organoleptic properties and thus quality of EO were severely affected and EO composition resulted severely altered, with a great increase in sesquiterpenes (from 72.8 to 19.8%) and a decrease in both monoterpenes (from 35 to 11%) and phenylpropanoids (from 44.5 to 15.8%, despite a slight increase in eugenol). Such report is indicative of possible direct or indirect metabolic consequences of AMV in a commercially important species like Ocimum basilicum is. The possible consequences of linalool and trans- β-farnesene content changes on the dispersion of viruliferous aphids are also examined and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grindelia robusta, a perennial herb, contains an essential oil that is used as an antitussive, sedative, and analgesic agent. During the spring of 2007, ' Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris'-related phytoplasmas were identified in plants showing virescence and phyllody symptoms. The qualitative and quantitative composition of the oil of healthy and infected plants was compared by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Samples from six symptomatic and five asymptomatic plants tested by nested PCR followed by RFLP analyses confirmed the presence of ' Ca. P. asteris' in all symptomatic samples. The oils from healthy and infected plants, obtained by steam distillation, contained 42 components; that of healthy plants contained a higher concentration of monoterpenes, especially limonene and bornyl acetate, which were nearly 50% higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]