Land-based drip-irrigated culture of Ulva compressa: The effect of culture platform design and nutrient concentration on biomass production and protein content

Abstract

This work developed a laboratory prototype methodology for cost-effective, water-sparing drip-irrigation of seaweeds, as a model for larger-scale, on-land commercial units, which we envision as semi-automated, inexpensive polyethylene sheet-covered bow-framed greenhouses with sloping plastic covered floors, water-collecting sumps, and pumped recycling of culture media into overhead low-pressure drip emitters. Water droplets form on the continually wetted interior plastic surfaces of these types of greenhouses scattering incoming solar radiation to illuminate around and within the vertically-stacked culture platforms. Concentrated media formulations applied through foliar application optimize nutrient uptake by the seaweeds to improve growth and protein content of the cultured biomass. An additional attribute is that seaweed growth can be accelerated by addition of anthropogenic CO2-containing industrial flue gases piped into the head-space of the greenhouse to reuse and recycle CO2 into useful algal biomass. This demonstration tested three different drip culture platform designs (horizontal, vertical and slanted) and four increasing fertilizer media concentrations (in seawater) for growth, areal productivity, and thallus protein content of wild-collected Ulva compressa biomass, against fully-submerged controls. Cool White fluorescent lights provided 150–200 μmol photon m-2 s-1 illumination on a 12/12 hr day/night cycle. Interactive effects we tested using a four-level single factorial randomized block framework (p<0.05). Growth rates and biomass of the drip irrigation designs were 3–9% day-1 and 5–18 g m-2 day-1 (d.w.) respectively, whereas the fully-submerged control group grew better at 8–11% per day with of 20–30 g m-2 day-1, indicating further optimization of the drip irrigation methodology is needed to improve growth and biomass production. Results demonstrated that protein content of Ulva biomass grown using the vertically-oriented drip culture platform and 2x fertilizer concentrations (42:16:36 N:P:K) was 27% d.w., approximating the similarly-fertilized control group. The drip methodology was found to significantly improve gas and nutrient mass transfer through the seaweed thalli, and overall, the labor- and-energy-saving methodology would use a calculated 20% of the seawater required for conventional on-land tank-based tumble culture.

The underexplored potential of green macroalgae in aquaculture

“…ohnoi in free‐floating in fibre‐glass parabolic tanks (10,000 L) receiving nutrient‐rich water from barramundi ( Lates calcarifer , Bloch 1790) hatchery; 169 U . compressa using a drip‐irrigation system; 170 U . rigida in concrete tanks (20,000 L) in free‐floating conditions using nutrient‐rich effluent from fish farm in IMTA; 40 U .…”

Present and Future of Seaweed Cultivation and Its Applications in Colombia

“…Land-based cultivation takes place in closed systems (tanks, ponds, or raceways), where the supply of clean seawater and rigorous control of temperature, lighting, and nutrient availability, guarantee optimal growing conditions [75,76]. Land-based seaweed cultures may be installed anywhere in the world, preferably near the coast, where there is a constant supply of seawater and ideal climatic conditions for seaweed growth, and at a location close to the processing and manufacturing plant site [77].…”

Influence of pH, N, P, N: P Ratio, and Dissolved Inorganic Carbon on Ulva ohnoi Growth and Biomass Quality: Potential Implications in IMTA-RAS

“…In confined environments, the assimilation of carbon both in the form of CO 2 or HCO 3 − during the photosynthetic process raises the pH of the medium by altering the balance of CO 2 , HCO 3 − and CO 2 3− and can deplete the alkaline reserve of water. Inorganic carbon is a limiting growth factor [29] and low availability of CO 2 and HCO 3 − can drive harmful impacts on algae metabolism (e.g., photosynthesis, respiration and nutrient uptake) and thus, their productivity [1,30,31]. No previous data are available on the influence of the gradual depletion of DIC due to the growth of Ulva itself in closed recirculating systems.…”

“…In the past decades the potential for the commercial cultivation of Ulva spp. has been evaluated in different semi-enclosed culture systems, although most of these works were only focused on general biological descriptors and culture physic-chemical variables [30,31,38,39]. Different physiological aspects of cultivated macroalgae have been assessed previously [23,24].…”