TY - JOUR
T1 - Rearing cuttings of the soft coral Sarcophyton glaucum (Octocorallia, Alcyonacea)
T2 - Towards mass production in a closed seawater system
AU - Sella, Ido
AU - Benayahu, Yehuda
PY - 2010/11
Y1 - 2010/11
N2 - The octcoral Sarcophyton glaucum has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution and is known for its diverse content of natural products. The aim of the current study was to establish a protocol for rearing miniature cuttings of S. glaucum in a closed seawater system. In order to determine the optimal conditions for rearing, the survival, average dry weight, percentage of organic weight and development of the cuttings were monitored under different temperature, light, salinity and feeding regimes. At 26°C, the highest dry weight was obtained, and at 20°C, the highest percentage of organic weight. The dry weight of the cuttings increased with the light intensity, while under 35-130μEm-2s-1, survival was high. Salinity did not affect any of the colonies' features. Feeding intervals of 7 and 30 days yielded a better result than of 2 days. A comparison of the colonies derived from the closed system with the colonies reared in a flow-through system, those reared in the sea and with field-collected colonies revealed the importance of environmental conditions in determining the features of the colonies. The study emphasizes the advantages of a closed seawater system in controlling the conditions needed for rearing cuttings of S. glaucum for targeted farming.
AB - The octcoral Sarcophyton glaucum has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution and is known for its diverse content of natural products. The aim of the current study was to establish a protocol for rearing miniature cuttings of S. glaucum in a closed seawater system. In order to determine the optimal conditions for rearing, the survival, average dry weight, percentage of organic weight and development of the cuttings were monitored under different temperature, light, salinity and feeding regimes. At 26°C, the highest dry weight was obtained, and at 20°C, the highest percentage of organic weight. The dry weight of the cuttings increased with the light intensity, while under 35-130μEm-2s-1, survival was high. Salinity did not affect any of the colonies' features. Feeding intervals of 7 and 30 days yielded a better result than of 2 days. A comparison of the colonies derived from the closed system with the colonies reared in a flow-through system, those reared in the sea and with field-collected colonies revealed the importance of environmental conditions in determining the features of the colonies. The study emphasizes the advantages of a closed seawater system in controlling the conditions needed for rearing cuttings of S. glaucum for targeted farming.
KW - Closed seawater system
KW - Coral farming
KW - Red-Sea
KW - Sarcophyton glaucum
KW - Soft corals
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78049489302&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1365-2109.2009.02475.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1365-2109.2009.02475.x
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AN - SCOPUS:78049489302
SN - 1355-557X
VL - 41
SP - 1748
EP - 1758
JO - Aquaculture Research
JF - Aquaculture Research
IS - 12
ER -