In the present study, biomass and lipid production of the biodiesel promising green microalga Tetradesmus obliquus BPL16 were studied by application of p-coumaric acid as a suggested novel growth regulator found predominantly in phenolics-rich streams. It was used in its pure form along with two phytohormones (jasmonic acid and salicylic acid). Using 100 mM jasmonic acid, 10 mM salicylic acid and 1 mM p-coumaric acid improved biomass production by 85.4%, 54.9% and 34.1%, respectively, over the control. In addition, significant increments in lipid content by 22%, 105.6%, and 145.4%, respectively, over the control were obtained at the aformentioned concentrations. Neutral lipids were significantly improved under elicitor-supplemented conditions. Moreover, fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) profile was also vitally influenced with drastic increase in oleic acid (C18:1) proportion by 81.7% and 73.6% over the control at 10 mM of jasmonic acid and 1 mM of p-coumaric acid, respectively. Application of pcoumaric acid resulted in estimated biodiesel energy output of 10.8 MJ kg(-1) which represented 141% and 9.4% higher than the control and jasmonic acid, respectively. In conclusion, the present study suggested p-coumaric acid as a novel growth regulator for instant synchronized growth and lipid accumulation in microalgae for enhanced biodiesel production. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.