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PHYCOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

Cultivation of the thallus stage of Porphyra yezoensis

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© 1999, Prof. Michael D. Guiry. Reuse of picture not permitted without prior consent. http://seaweed.nuigalway.ie

After the collecting of conchospores, these spores are now ready to be seeded and grown on cultivation nets in the field. There are three commonly used cultivation methods:
• The pillar method is only used for intertidal cultivation and in places where the tidal range is between one and two meters.
• The semi-floating raft method is used in the intertidal zone. This may be the preferred method as the raft floats near the surface of the water, allowing maximal exposure to the sunlight needed for photosynthesis.
• The floating raft method is used for production of Porphyra in deep water.

After the thalli are large enough, they are harvested and washed thoroughly in seawater to remove any contaminants and epiphytes. They are then cut into appropriate-sized peices with a chopper, and washed briefly, producing a thallus suspension. The thallus suspension is then poured into metallic framework with a plastic net at the bottom to produce individual sheets of overlapping thalli. These sheets are then dried together in a hot-air chamber. Then, the sheets are sorted according to their apparent quality and packed, usually for human consumption.



© 1999, Prof. Michael D. Guiry. Reuse of picture not permitted without prior consent. http://seaweed.nuigalway.ie

Cultivation of Conchocelis phase
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© 1999 Lisa Chen. All rights reserved. Use for educational purposes permitted with acknowledgment and notice.