Field cultivation of Kappaphycus alvarezii (DOTY) doty ex silva using tissue-cultured seedlings at bungin permai costal waters, south konawe, Southeast (SE) Sulawesi: the third year of seaweed growth monitoring

Abstract

Monitoring program is very important to evaluate the growth and performance of the seaweed K. alvarezii cultivated in the coastal areas. However, the program are rarely to be done in Indonesia continuously. In SE Sulawesi, tissue-cultured seedling are already been used by the seaweed farmers. The aims of this study were to evaluate the third period of growth monitoring program based on daily growth rate (DGR) and ratio of final wet weight and dry weight using tissue-cultured seedlings of the seaweed. This study was conducted in Bungin Coastal Waters, South Konawe. The result showed that the mean DGR of the seedlings were 7.01±0.63%.day−1 and significantly higher (p<0.05) than the two previous monitoring years (2017 and 2018). Ratio of final dry weight: wet weight was 9.42:1 and this ratio was also higher than the two previous years. In the present study, the epiphyte infection of Sargassum polycystum and an unidentified moss were also found. In conclusion, tissue-cultured seedling show good quality even though they have been used as seedlings for four years continuously.