Among the plant-derived germination stimulants for root parasitic plants, strigolactones (SLs) have been shown to be most widely distributed in the plant kingdom. SLs are branching factors of symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and a novel class of plant hormones inhibiting shoot branching. All the plants investigated so far have been found to produce SLs and the total number of natural SLs have exceeded 30 including those remained to be characterized. In this study, characterization of germination stimulants produced by black oat (Avena strigosa), an allelopathic plant, was conducted.
