The objective of this study was to find herbicidal compounds in the essential oil of palmarosa (Cymbopogon martini). Of essential oils from basil (Ocimum basilicum), blackpepper (Piper nigrum), clary sage (Salvia sclarea), ginger (Zingiber pfficinale), hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), nutmag (Myristica fragrance), palmarosa (Cymbopogon martini), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), sage (Salvia leucantha), and spearmint (Mentha spicta), the herbicidal activity of palmarosa essential oil, which was determined by a seed bioassay using rapeseed (Brassica napus L.), was highest ($GR_{50}$ value, $201{mu}g;mL^{-1}$). In palmarosa essential oil, 11 volatile organic chemicals were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectometry with solid-phase micro-extraction apparatus and the major constituents were geraniol (40.23%), geraniol acetate (15.57%), cis-ocimene (10.79%), and beta-caryophyllene (8.72%). The $GR_{50}$ values of geraniol, citral, nerol, and geranyl acetate were 151, 224, 452, and $1,214{mu}g;mL^{-1}$, respectively. In greenhouse and field experiments, foliar application of palmarosa essential oil at the level of $80kg;ha^{-1}$ controlled weeds effectively. Overall results of this study showed that the herbicidal activity of palmarosa essential oil could be due to geraniol and citral which had lower $GR_{50}$ values.