Laboratory and field growth studies of commercial strains of <i>Eucheuma denticulatum</i> and <i>Kappaphycus alvarezii</i> in the Philippines

Abstract

Daily growth rates of 0.1 to 8.4% d-1 for the brown form and 0.2 to 6.3% d-1 of the green form were measured for 3 to 5-cm long branches of the tropical red seaweed <i>Kappaphycus alvarezii</i> cultured in the laboratory. Highest growth rates were found using inexpensive enrichments such as soil water and coconut water supplemented with 0.7 mM N and 13 µM P and with a liquid fertilizer, Algafer, produced from seaweeds in the Philippines. Laboratory grown branches of both <i>K. alvarezii</i> and <i>Eucheuma denticulatum</i> transplanted to rafts in the field showed daily growth rates of 4.4 to 8.9% d-1, as high or higher than other reported growth rates. The studies, carried out in the Philippines, demonstrate the viability and high yield of laboratory cultivars and methods to keep laboratory culture costs low.