Clonal propagation of Eucheuma denticulatum and Kappaphycus alvarezii for Philippine seaweed farms

Improved techniques for branch culture, micropropagation and callus production of carrageenan-yielding seaweeds Kappaphycus alvarezii and Eucheuma denticulatum are presented. Low cost branch culture was possible by enriching seawater with 0.1 per cent coconut water with 1 mg per litre indole-3-butyric acid for 24 h per week or continuous culture with 0.01 per cent Algafer, a Philippine fertilizer. Carrageenan was not as effective as agar as a media for callus production. Laboratory cultivars were transplanted back to the field in the Philippines with daily percent growth rates of 5-5.5 per cent per d for 84 d. The establishment of a seaweed culture facility was proposed for the seaweed farming area. Such a unit would cost about 22,000 U.S. dollars during the initial year.