Allelopathic activity of volatile oil from giant reed on Microcystin aeruginosa

The volatile oils of Arundo donax Linn (giant reed) were extracted by two methods, one was Water-steam distillation, the other was petroleum extraction and then fractionated with some chemical reagent. Components of the volatile oils were analyzed and identified by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the allelopathic effect of the volatile oils were also explored by bioassay of Microcystin aeruginosa. The results showed that the volatile oils had allelopathic activity. This study also compared components of the volatile oils from giant reed in different extract methods. The conclusion of the study provided important information for recovering eutrophic waters by aquatic macrophytes.