Cultivation of marine red alga Gracilaria edulis (Gigartinales, Rhodophyta) from spores

Gracilaria edulis. a major Indian agarophyte. has been successfully cultivated in an experimental scale from spores at sea off Narakkal, Kochi. Artificial objects like noating roft. nylon ropes and net pieces were provided in the open sea for collect ion of spores of GracUaria edulis. They were allowed to grow to mature size of 30 cm. After 76 days of culture period, fully grown healthy plants of Gracilaria edulis were harvested from the nylon rope by hand pruning. Further growth was much faster. A total yield of 7.220 kg plants was obtained during 122 days of the culture period. The work has resullcd in the successful cultivation of the species from the east coast to a coastal area of the west coast, Narakkal, and also in the identification of a fertile culture ground (open sea off Narakkal. Kechi) along the Kerala coast during favourable period of growth.