Creation of Seedling Banks for Seaweed Urged
A lady scientist has emphasized the need for the establishment of working seedling hunks for seaweeds to address the low supply of high quality planting materials, which is one of the major problems faced by the local seaweed industry today.
Dr. Rhodora V. Azanza, marine science professor at the Marine Science Institute-University of Philippines Diliman said that unlike other major commodities such as rice and corn, there has been no infrastructure focusing on the reproduction of farmed seaweed in the Philippines that will serve as a ready source of raw materials for seaweed growers.
In her paper presentation to the members of National Academy of Science and Technology at the recent round table discussion, Dr. Azanza said that seedling banks are important in the mass propagation and storage of planting materials of commercially farmed seaweeds as being practiced in other countries like Brazil and Japan.
Local seaweed farmers use vegetative regeneration of cuttings or what they call “putol-putol” as planting materials. If cuttings taken from the same plants are used continuously for five croppings, for instance, this may result in the deterioration of yield and quality of farmed seaweed.
Dr. Azanza said that studies have shown that it, is possible to enhance callous induction and growth rate in seaweeds by applying tissue culture and by using growth regulators and carbon sources.
Scientists have also studied the use of carpospore/tetraspore progeny which exhibits superior qualities and was found to be more resistant to seaweed diseases.
A single land-based seaweed seedling bank, according to Dr. Azanza, will require f15 million to P 10 million initial funding for its establishment. This cost, she added, does not include the counterpart share of the partner agency that will host the facility. She also said that Mindanao State University in Tawi-Tawi could be a strategic location.
Dr. Azanza said that a land-based seedling bank- for farmed carrageenophytes would enable the production of seedlings from cuttings/explants and sporelings from carpospores and tetraspores. Challenge also lies on the determination of seeding and storing mechanisms/requirements as well as outplanting mechanism.
Aside from securing the availability of planting materials, scientists also reiterated the need to focus on health management in the same way with postharvest aspect to boost seaweed production.
Stakeholders of the local seaweed industry have recently aired their concern over Indonesia’s increasing carrageenan production which threatens the Philippines as the world’s primary producer of carrageenan. Data provided by the Marine Colloids Philippines, Inc., a major exporter of carrageenan, showed that in 2008 both the Philippines and Indonesia produced 65,000 metric tons of dried seaweeds at 38%-40% moisture content.
Dr. Danilo B. Largo, director of the office of research of the University of San Carlos in Cebu City, stressed the need for a paradigm shift from the emphasis on postharvest quality improvement to on-site crop improvement based on sound seaweed health management practices.
In line with this, Dr. Largo suggests the promotion of fanner or operator education and farmer scientist program to empower seaweed farmers.
By Melpha M. Abello
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