Decoding the quantitative relationship of algistatic activity and chemodiversity of plant-derived allelochemicals in optimized straw decomposition

Abstract

The allelopathic effect of agricultural waste pretreated with Trametes versicolor for controlling the toxic alga Amphidinium carterae was investigated in this study. Response surface methodology revealed that the optimized physical factors displayed a substantial contribution to the potentiality of agricultural by-products in inhibiting A. carterae. The optimal inhibition property was achieved at a pH of 5.1, a temperature of 28.6 °C, a water content of 68 mL, and a straw particle size of 23.6 mm. Quantitative relationship analysis showed that total phenolic content, degradation rate, and β-glucanase greatly contributed to the algistatic activity of the straw extracts. Moreover, the extracts of straw were found to contain a diverse range of allelochemicals, with 63 compounds exhibiting allelopathic effects identified based on historical reports. Our analysis indicated that the allelochemicals responsible for the inhibition of A. carterae are mostly polyphenolics and their derivatives, as well as fatty acids. Therefore, these results provide a new strategy for the intensive and value-added utilization of agricultural biomass, contributing to the sustainable development of plant-derived algaecides.