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Effect of fertilization pulses on the production of Gracilaria birdiae seedlings under laboratory and field conditions

  • V REDEALGAS WORKSHOP (Rio De Janeiro, Brazil)
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Abstract

The genus Gracilaria is one of the most important sources of agar in the world. In Brazil, Gracilaria birdiae is the main commercially exploited species; however, overexploitation has contributed to the depletion of natural beds. In order to obtain more information so as to consolidate G. birdiae cultivation, studies under laboratory (indoor and outdoor) and field (sea and shrimp pond) conditions were conducted to evaluate the effects of fertilizer pulses on biomass and relative growth rate (RGR) of this species. The following nutrient sources used were (T1) shrimp-pond effluent, (T2) fertilizer for aquarium plants (Mbreda), and (T3) fertilizer extract of Ascophyllum nodosum (Acadian). Significant differences for growth were recorded over time for all treatments in both outdoor and field conditions (p < 0.001). The highest RGRs were recorded for treatments that used pulses of commercial fertilizers (T2 and T3) and the lowest for treatment using shrimp-pond effluent pulses (T1). The analysis of the nutrient content in tissue also showed a relationship between growth and nitrogen and phosphorus accumulation in the algal tissues. The N/P ratio indicated a significant effect on the growth of G. birdiae and the highest RGRs were registered for seedlings with a N/P ratio ≥16 (T2 and T3). In conclusion, the best results were recorded for the Mbreda and Acadian commercial fertilizers. However, although no significant differences were detected between growth and the two fertilizers (T2 and T3), the seedlings cultivated under Acadian pulses showed a better performance against environmental stress caused by reduced salinity.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa de São Paulo (FAPESP) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq). Special thanks to Mr. Alexandre Wainberg (in memoriam) for allowing the study to be carried out at the PRIMAR S/A shrimp farm. We also thank the editor and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments which helped us to improve this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oceanography and Limnology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Via Costeira, Mãe Luiza, s/n, Natal, RN, 59014-002, Brazil

    Felipe de Oliveira Fernandes, Sérgio Ricardo de Oliveira, Vitor Klein & Eliane Marinho-Soriano

  2. University Center Facex, Rua Orlando Silva, Capim Macio, 2897, Natal, RN, 59080-020, Brazil

    Marcella Araújo do Amaral Carneiro

  3. Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, 26077, São Paulo, SP, 05599-970, Brazil

    Pio Colepicolo

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  1. Felipe de Oliveira Fernandes
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  2. Sérgio Ricardo de Oliveira
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  3. Vitor Klein
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  4. Marcella Araújo do Amaral Carneiro
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  5. Pio Colepicolo
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  6. Eliane Marinho-Soriano
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Correspondence to Felipe de Oliveira Fernandes.

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de Oliveira Fernandes, F., de Oliveira, S.R., Klein, V. et al. Effect of fertilization pulses on the production of Gracilaria birdiae seedlings under laboratory and field conditions. J Appl Phycol 29, 695–705 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-016-0994-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-016-0994-1

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