Abstract
This study examined the effect of short-term nitrogen (N) enrichment on Gracilariopsis heteroclada growth and agar quality. Planting materials were soaked in different concentrations of ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) for 6 h. Total thallus N content was highest in Gp. heteroclada enriched in 300 mg l-1 NH4Cl. Growth experiments showed that this enrichment treatment (300 mg l-1 NH4Cl for 6 h) increased the growth of Gp. heteroclada (4.22±0.09% day-1) compared with the control (3.68±0.12% day-1). Pond culture using enriched Gp. heteroclada resulted in high growth rates (6.14±0.50% day-1). No epiphyte growth was observed during either the growth experiment or the pond culture. There were no significant differences between the agar yields of the enriched (3.65±0.36%) or control (3.78±0.18%) Gp. heteroclada. Additionally, no significant differences were detected when the gel strength of the enriched (611±22 g cm-2) and control (587±11 g cm-2) Gp. heteroclada were compared. The results suggest that the short-term N enrichment method could be an alternative culture strategy to increase Gp. heteroclada production and lower farming costs.
About the authors
Sheryll S. Santander-Avanceña is a BS in Aquaculture graduate from the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV), Miag-ao, Iloilo, Philippines. She pursued graduate studies at the same university and was awarded an MS in Biology in 2010. She entered the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center/Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) as a Technical Assistant under the Farming Systems and Ecology Section (FSES). She is presently an Associate Researcher at the Technology Verification and Demonstration Division of the SEAFDEC/AQD, Tigbauan, Iloilo, Philippines with on-going research studies on the culture of seaweeds (Gracilariopsis heteroclada) and shrimp (Penaeus indicus).
Maria Rovilla J. Luhan is an Associate Scientist and Head of the FSES, SEAFDEC/AQD. She is also the seaweed commodity team leader of the department. She graduated from UPV with a BS in Fisheries in 1981 and an MS in Fisheries Biology in 1991. Ms. Luhan is also a lecturer at the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, UPV. Currently she is the vice-president of the University of the Philippines Aquaculture Society and a member of Philippine Phycological Society Inc., Philippine Society for Cell Biology (founding member), Phycological Society of America and Asian Fisheries Society. She is a reviewer of some peer reviewed journals and has authored a number of scientific publications on Gracilaria and Kappaphycus among others.
Jeralyn Felera-Panizales is a registered chemist and currently holds the Chemist position at SEAFDEC/AQD. Her primary duty includes physico-chemical analysis of water and soil samples. She earned her BS in Chemistry and an MS in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Visayas, Miag-ao campus.
Acknowledgments
This study was funded by the AQD/SEAFDEC (5309-TTV-S0912T and 5310-TTV-S0015D). The assistance of Daniel Gipulan, Jorge Amihan and Neil Dosado during the conduct of this study and the help of Vicente Balinas in the statistical analysis are gratefully acknowledged.
References
APHA AWWA WEF (American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association, & Water Environment Federation). 2012. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. 22nd edition. American Public Health Association, Washington, DC. pp. 1496.Search in Google Scholar
Araño, K.G., G.C. Trono Jr., N.E. Montano, A.Q. Hurtado and R.D. Villanueva. 2000. Growth, agar yield and quality of selected agarophyte species from the Philippines. Bot. Mar. 43: 517–524.Search in Google Scholar
Armisen, R. 1995. World-wide use and importance of Gracilaria. J. Appl.Phycol. 7: 231–243.10.1007/BF00003998Search in Google Scholar
Bautista-Teruel, M.N. and O.M. Millamena. 1999. Diet development and evaluation for juvenile abalone, Haliotis asinina: protein/energy levels. Aquaculture 178: 117–126.Search in Google Scholar
Bird, K., C. Habig and T. Debusk. 1982. Nitrogen allocation and storage patterns in Gracilaria tikvahiae (Rhodophyta). J. Appl. Phycol. 18: 344–348.10.1111/j.1529-8817.1982.tb03194.xSearch in Google Scholar
Boyd, C.E. 1990. Water quality in ponds for aquaculture. Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn University, Alabama, pp. 482.Search in Google Scholar
Carton-Kawagoshi, R.J., B.J. Elle, V. Corre Jr., S. Satoh, M. Notoya and D. Fujita. 2013. Low water exchange Gracilariopsis bailiniae Zhang & B.M. Xia culture in intensive milkfish culture effluents: effects of seaweed density on seaweed production and effluent treatment. AquaculInt 22: 573–584.10.1007/s10499-013-9674-1Search in Google Scholar
Chavoso, E.A.J. and A.Q. Hurtado-Ponce. 1995. Effect of stocking density and nutrients on the growth and agar gel of Gracilariopsis bailinae (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta). The Philippine Scientist 32: 27–33.Search in Google Scholar
Christeller, J.T. and W.A. Laing. 1989. The effect of environment on the agar yield and gel characteristics of Gracilaria sordida Nelson (Rhodophyta). Bot. Mar. 32: 447–455.10.1515/botm.1989.32.5.447Search in Google Scholar
De Castro T.R. and N.G. Guanzon, Jr. 1993. Growth of Gracilarias sp. (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta) in brackishwater ponds at different stocking densities. Isr. J. Aquacult. Bamid. 45: 89–94.Search in Google Scholar
Friedlander, M. and I. Levy. 1995. Cultivation of Gracilaria in outdoor tanks and ponds. J. Appl. Phycol. 7: 315–324.10.1007/BF00004005Search in Google Scholar
Guanzon, N.G., T.R. de Castro-Mallare and F.M. Lorque. 2004. Polyculture of milkfish Chanos chanos (Forsskal) and the red seaweed Gracilariopsis bailinae (Zhang etXia) in brackish water earthen ponds. Aquac. Res. 35: 423–431.10.1111/j.1365-2109.2004.01001.xSearch in Google Scholar
Hanisak, M.D. 1990. The use of Gracilaria tikvahiae (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta) as a model system to understand the nitrogen nutrition of cultured seaweeds. Hydrobiologia 204/205: 79–87.Search in Google Scholar
Hurtado-Ponce, A.Q., G.P.B. Samonte, M.R.J. Luhan and N. Guanzon, Jr. 1992. Gracilaria (Rhodophyta) farming in Panay, Western Visayas, Philippines. Aquaculture 105: 233–240.10.1016/0044-8486(92)90089-4Search in Google Scholar
Lapointe, B.E. and J.H. Ryther. 1978. Some aspects of the growth and yield of Gracilaria tikvahiae in culture. Aquaculture 15: 185–193.10.1016/0044-8486(78)90030-3Search in Google Scholar
Luhan, M.R.J. 1992. Agar yield and gel strength of Gracilaria heteroclada collected from Iloilo, Central Philippines. Bot. Mar. 35: 169–172.Search in Google Scholar
Luhan, M.R.J. 1996. Biomass and reproductive states of Gracilari aheteroclada Zhang et Xia collected from Jaro, Central Philippines. Bot. Mar. 39: 207–211.Search in Google Scholar
Luhan, M.R.J., J. Tanaka and Y. Aruga. 2003. Tank culture of Gracilaria heteroclada (Zhang et Xia). Philipp. Agric. Sci. 86: 355–357.Search in Google Scholar
Luhan, M.R.J., F. Harder and A.Q. Hurtado. 2006. Growth and agar quality of Gracilaria heteroclada (Zhang et Xia) grown in a filter tank. Philipp. Agric. Sci. 89: 358–361.Search in Google Scholar
Luhan, M.R.J., S.S. Avanceña and J.P. Mateo. 2014. Effect of short-term high nitrogen immersion of Kappaphycus alvarezii (Doty) Doty on the growth, nitrogen assimilation, carrageenan quality and occurrence of “ice-ice” disease. J. Appl. Phycol. 27: 917–922.Search in Google Scholar
Montgomery, D.C.1984. Design and analysis of experiments. 2nd edition. John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp. 538.Search in Google Scholar
Navarro-Angulo, L. and D. Robledo. 1999. Effects of nitrogen source, N:P ratio and N-pulse concentration and frequency on the growth of Gracilaria cornea (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta) in culture. Hydrobiologia 398/399: 315–320.10.1007/978-94-011-4449-0_37Search in Google Scholar
Nelson, S.G., E.P. Glenn, J. Conn, D. Moore, T. Walsh and M. Akutagawa. 2001. Cultivation of Gracilaria parvisporaRhodophyta in shrimp-farm effluent ditches and floating cages in Hawaii: a two-phase polyculture system. Aquaculture 193: 239–248.10.1016/S0044-8486(00)00491-9Search in Google Scholar
Pondevida, H.B. and A.Q. Hurtado-Ponce. 1996. Assessment of some agarophytes from the coastal areas of Iloilo, Philippines I. seasonal variation in the biomass of Gracilaria changii, Gracilaria manilaensis and Gracilaria bailinae (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta). Bot. Mar. 39: 117–122.10.1515/botm.1996.39.1-6.117Search in Google Scholar
Ryther, J.H., N. Corwin, T.A. DeBusk and L.D. Williams. 1981/1982. Nitrogen uptake and storage by the red alga Gracilaria tikvahiae (McLachlan, 1979). Aquaculture 26: 107–115.Search in Google Scholar
Smit, A.J., B.L. Robertson and D.R. du Preez. 1997. Influence of ammonium-N pulse concentrations and frequency, tank condition and nitrogen starvation on growth rate and biochemical composition of Gracilaria gracilis. J. Appl. Phycol. 8: 473–481.Search in Google Scholar
Trono, G.C. Jr. 1996. A review of Gracilaria culture in Asia-Pacific and directions for future development. In: FAO/NACA Regional Study and Workshop on the Taxonomy, Ecology and Processing of Economically Important Red Seaweeds. NACA Environment and Aquaculture Development Series No. 3. Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand.Search in Google Scholar
Trono, G.C. 1999. Diversity of the seaweed flora of the Philippines and its utilization. Hydrobiologia 298/299: 1–6.10.1007/978-94-011-4449-0_1Search in Google Scholar
©2015 by De Gruyter
