Comparison of vetiver root essential oils from cleansed (bacteria- and fungus-free) vs. non-cleansed (normal) vetiver plants

‘Karnataka’ and ‘Malaysia’ cultivars of vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash, =Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.) Roberty) were subjected to meristem tissue culture in order to produce plants that were bacteria- and fungi-free. Tissue cultured (“cleansed” or phytosanitary) vetiver was grown for five months in sterilized soil contained in pots, and the oil content of plants grown on the medium was compared to that of non-cleansed (normal) vetiver plants grown in unsterilized soil under the same conditions. Statistical analysis of 49 of the major oil components revealed numerous significant differences between tissue culture derived and natural plants for both genotypes.Although oil yields differed, this may reflect the larger size of the initial plantlets obtained from natural sources. Tissue cultured vs. natural plantlets grown in sterilized soil resulted in the largest number of differences in compounds. The least number of differences of compounds were between tissue cultured vs. natural plantlets grown in non-sterile soil. The thesis that many of the compounds found in vetiver roots originate from endogenous fungi was not supported.