Strigol is a particular strigolactone identified as a chemical stimulant of germination in root-parasitic plants. A 1966 study isolated crystalline strigol from cotton root exudates and reported its molecular formula as . The substance is one identified molecule, whereas strigolactone names a broader chemical family.[ref]
Germination of Witchweed (Striga lutea Lour.): Isolation and Properties of a Potent Stimulant by C. E. Cook and others. Abstract; cotton-root exudates, isolation, formula and germination activity
The motivating experiment links chemical separation with a biological assay. An active root-exudate fraction can be purified and tested for its capacity to stimulate seeds; chemical identification then connects that activity with a defined compound. Germination is the measured outcome. It does not by itself establish successful attachment to a host or later growth of the parasite.
An invented dilution calculation illustrates why a small amount and a small concentration are different descriptions: in is . A tenfold dilution gives while also changing the delivered amount if the assay volume is fixed. These are teaching values, not thresholds reported by the1966 study. A germination comparison must state its concentration, conditions and control treatment.
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