An improved method for RNA isolation from plants using commercial extraction kits

Isolation of RNA from plants rich in secondary metabolites using commercial kits often results in contaminated preparations which are not suitable for downstream applications. Although many specific protocols appropriate for plants with a high content of phenolics, anthocyanins and polysaccharides have been developed, these are often expensive, time consuming and not applicable to different types of tissues. This study presents a simple and efficient modification of RNA extraction from different types of tissues using two commercial reagent kits. By simple improvement, we routinely obtained high-quality RNA of the following plants: the blackcurrant bush, black chokeberry bush, pear tree, apricot tree, apple tree, hardy kiwi, tangerine tree, highbush blueberry and cranberry plant

Antiviral Activity of Selected Essential Oils against Cucumber Mosaic Virus

The aim of the study was to assess the antiviral activity of selected essential oils (EOs) against Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), both in vitro and in vivo. The observations were made using Chenopodium quinoa as a local host. The EOs were obtained from Greek oregano, thyme, and costmary. Their chemical composition was determined using GC/FID followed by GC/MS. The dominant compound in oregano EO was carvacrol (59.41%), in thyme EO—thymol (59.34%), and in costmary EO—β-thujone (90.60%). Among the analysed EOs, thyme EO exhibited the most promising effects against CMV. However, its activity was influenced by the time of application. In an in vivo experiment, thyme EO showed protective (pre-inoculation) rather than curative (post-inoculation) activity