0000000000625326
AUTHOR
Roberta Piccaglia
Glucose, fructose and saccharose metabolism in Dipsacus silvestris infected by Cucumber mosaic virus.
Dipsacus silvestris Miller (or Fuller’s Teasel) (Dipsacaceae) showing stunting, chlorotic leaf mosaic and narrowing of the lamina, has been found for the first time in Italy naturally infected by Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV). This virus was detected in PAS-ELISA tests and molecularly characterized by applying RT-PCR, using specific primers for the movement protein gene of RNA3 (forward 5’ CTA GGC TTT CCA AGC TAC CAG 3’; reverse 5’ CTA AAG ACC GTT AAC CAC CTG C 3’). The content of glucose, fructose and saccharose, determined by HPLC analysis, was calculated in both healthy (h) and CMV-infected (i) D. silvestris plants during the chronic infection period. An higher content of these carbohydrat…
Modifications over years of volatile compounds and agronomic features in a Sicilian Clary sage biotype.
Clary sage is a biennial native to Mediterranean area, spontaneous and often ubiquitous in many environments of inner Sicily. The large white-pinkish flowers are used, besides for ornamental purposes, for extracting a strongly-scented essential oil largely used by perfume industries. This work has been carried out with the aim to observe over several years the behaviour of a Sicilian Clary sage biotype, grown on experimental plots laid out in Sparacia (Cammarata - AG - Sicily). For this purpose seeds of Clary sage collected from a wild population growing in Pietraperzia (EN) were sown in experimental plots each year for seven consecutive years (from 1998 to 2005). Since Clary sage is a bien…
Characterization of an Italian biotype of clary sage (Salvia sclarea L.) grown in a semi-arid Mediterranean environment
An Italian spontaneous biotype of clary sage (Salvia sclarea L.) was evaluated for its suitability to be cultivated in a semi-arid area and for the influence of these growth conditions on the essential oil composition. Seeds gathered from a spontaneous biotype were sown directly in the field, using a seeding density calculated to achieve a plant population of 7 plants/m2. Essential oils from the inflorescences and leaves of plants harvested at full flowering and early seed ripeness stages were obtained by steam distillation and characterized by GC and GC–MS. The plants showed a good tolerance to the semi-arid growth conditions, yielding more than 700 flowers/plant and about 21 g seeds/plant…