Effects of salinity and light conditions on the survival of brown seaweed Sargassum ilicifolium (Turner) C. Agardh during early development

Abstract

The present study was carried out to investigate the survival of Sargassum ilicifolium from zygote to germling under laboratory conditions. Zygotes were cultured at 3 different salinity conditions (30-35 PSU, 20-25 PSU, and 10-15 PSU) and under the illumination of 3 various light sources (natural, fluorescent, and LED lights) with varying intensities. Results showed that S. ilicifolium germlings have a relatively higher tolerance to lower salinities that ranged from 10 to 30 PSU, and optimal growth in salinity ranges from 30– 35 PSU. There was no significant effect of the light source on this species’ zygote survival and germination. Fluorescent lighting effectively obtained high survival and germination rates of zygotes and driving the development of morphologically normal germlings compared to LED lighting. This study also demonstrated the potential of using zygote-derived germlings as a source of nursery seedlings. Therefore, salinity and light conditions were important variables affecting the survival, germination, and growth of S. ilicifolium, which are valuable data in developing streamlined practices for aquaculture production and management.