In vitro Micropropagation of Eucheuma Seaweeds

The cultivation of seaweeds contributes significantly to the national economy and provides employment to the economically backward communities of Sabah, Malaysia. Cultivation of seaweeds on a commercial scale requires a large number of propagules with desirable phenotypic traits which include high growth rates and resistance to diseases. Thus, seaweed tissue culture can be considered as one of the best methods to provide a large amount of seedlings for commercial cultivation. The parameters which have been determined to have a significant effect on the growth of in vitro propagated Eucheuma seaweeds are the sterilization techniques, media composition, light intensity and aeration. Eucheuma seaweeds were surface sterilized by washing with optimized concentration of disinfectants and antibiotics. The appropriate medium was determined to be Provasoli’s Enriched Seawater (PES) while optimum light intensity was in the range of 6,000 lux. Continuous aeration was important to provide enough carbon dioxide for carbon fixation. Hormone IAA:BAP was provided with concentration ratio of 5:1 mg/l. Temperature was maintained in the range of 25 to 30°C while salinity of the seawater was kept constant at 32 ppt.