Devil's-claw (Proboscidea louisianica), essential oil and its components : Potential allelochemical agents on cotton and wheat.

The potential allelopathic activity of devil's-claw [Proboscidea louisianica (Mill.) Thellung] essential oil and a few of the compounds it contains on the elongation of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) radicles was studied using a Petri dish bioassay. Essential oil was collected by steam distillation using an all-glass-Teflon assembly. Ether extracts of the steam distillates from fresh devil's-claw were inhibitory to cotton and wheat radicle elongation. The following six components of devil's-claw essential oil identified by CGC-MS-DS were inhibitory to cotton and/or wheat at a concentration of 1 mM: vanillin, piperitenone, δ-cadinene,p-cymen-9-ol, α-bisabolol, and phenethyl alcohol.