Algicidal Characteristics of Cashew Nut Oil against Microalgae and Development of its Mixtures with Synergistic Effects

This study was conducted to investigate the algicidal characteristics of cashew nut oil (CNO) and to develop CNO mixtures with other compounds having synergistic effects on the growth inhibition against a blue-green alga, Microcystis aeruginosa. Among tested CNOs, CNO with higher anacardic acid contents (Ana-A) exhibited the best algicidal activity against M. aeruginosa. Ana-A showed broad algicidal spectrum with particular greater activity against blue-green algae than green algae. Ana-A showed the greatest activity against to Oscillatoria tenuis (IC 50 = 0.19 μg mL −1 ) among the tested blue-green algae and to Chlorella vulgaris (IC 50 = 4.54 μg mL −1 ) among the tested green algae, respectively. In a mixture experiment to evaluate a chemical interaction in M. aeruginosa control, Ana-A showed a strong synergistic effect with MSB and menadione, mild synergistic effect with citric acid, and additive effect with chryspophanol, copper sulfate and quinoclamine. Taken together, our results suggest that CNO containing higher anacardic acid can be used as an eco-friendly natural algicide for selective control of blue-green algae such as M. aeruginosa and O. tenuis through an optimization of application rate and in combination with synergists such as MSB and menadione.