Abstract
Seaweed cultivation is imperative to augment increasing industrial demand. Ulva fasciata Delile is a potential seaweed for cultivation with applications in food industries. There is a renewed interest in large-scale aquaculture of this species in India due to its envisaged demand in snack food products. In the present study, we have successfully demonstrated the possibility of inducing zoospores in vegetative tissue, effective regeneration and improved growth in this seaweed by manipulating salinity (from 15 to 30 psu) and temperature (from 15 to 35°C). The optimum salinity and temperature requirement for zoospores induction were found to be 15 psu and 25°C, respectively. The quadriflagellate zoospores showed negative phototaxis and the settlement and germination pattern similar to several other green seaweeds. The optimum regeneration (78.53 ± 10.05%) was recorded at 25°C and 30 psu salinity. The maximum daily growth rate (16.1 ± 0.28%) was at 25°C and 30 psu salinity which corresponded to the field conditions. This method could be further refined at nursery culture to achieve artificial seeding essential for the success of commercial cultivation of this seaweed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 243-250 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of Applied Phycology |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2011 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Acknowledgments This research is supported by the program on rural development through seaweed cultivation funded by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi (RSP 0016). Financial assistance under NWP 018 scheme is also acknowledged. Puja Kumari would like to thank CSIR for the award of Junior Research Fellowship. The authors also would like to thank anonymous reviewers for their constructive and meticulous comments in improving the earlier version of the manuscript.
Keywords
- Cultivation
- Edible seaweed
- Salinity
- Temperature
- Ulva fasciata