Preliminary Exploration of the Inhibitory Mechanism of Lauryl Alcohol on Plant Pathogenic Fungi

Plant pathogenic fungi severely menace crops, with far - reaching impacts on the socio - economyand human health. Lauryl alcohol, a natural compound found in plants and diverse organisms, haswide applications in manufacturing surfactants, food products, and pharmaceuticals.Our research focuses on GZM, a plant protection formulation mainly made up of lauryl alcohol.We hypothesized that it could form a physical barrier on the plant surface. Through field trials, wedemonstrated that lauryl alcohol effectively curbs fungal diseases. Laboratory tests further revealedits significant inhibitory effects against Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium oxysporum, andColletotrichum gloeosporioides.To explore the inhibitory mechanism of lauryl alcohol against fungi, we employedSaccharomyces cerevisiae as a substitute host. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, lauryl alcohol disruptsyeast budding, compromises cell wall and membrane integrity, and impairs mitochondrial function.This leads to elevated ROS production and apoptosis. Transcriptome analysis shows that laurylalcohol stress inhibits the biosynthesis of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes and ATPsynthetases in yeast, thus undermining its normal functions.