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Environmental Biotechnology Vol. 1 pp 227–242Cite as

Epiphytism in Seaweed Farming: Causes, Status, and Implications

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Part of the book series: Environmental Chemistry for a Sustainable World ((ECSW,volume 44))

Abstract

An epiphyte is a nonparasitic plant that dwells on another plant and has been well studied in terrestrial plants. However, in the marine ecosystem, these epiphytes thrive on algal thallus for their support and growth, and their infestation has a prime economic impediment in commercial cultivation. They usually belong to various groups, namely, bacteria, fungi, algae, ascidians, bryozoans, sponges, protozoa, molluscs, crustaceans, and other marine sessile organisms. The seaweed farming industry is currently growing at ca. 9% per annum, with global production of 31.2 million wet tons worth US$ 11.7 billion. The first report of an epiphytic outbreak in commercial farms of Kappaphycus in the 1970s caught the attention of several researchers on this devastating epiphyte which causes retarded growth and significant loss of stocking biomass, ultimately leading to the production of inferior quality of raw material. High-density planting in commercial farms is often responsible for recurring epiphytic infestations. Nevertheless, it is almost certain that the entire crop collapses due to epiphyte outbreak in a short span of time. Therefore, the lack of reliable global statistics exerts trade deficit in commercial seaweed farming. This chapter highlights the causes of epiphytic infestations, the current status of outbreaks, methods to control epiphytes, and its economic implications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China

    Sunil Kumar Sahu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China

    Sunil Kumar Sahu

  3. Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary

    Kapilkumar N. Ingle

  4. Applied Phycology and Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, India

    Vaibhav A. Mantri

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  1. Sunil Kumar Sahu
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  2. Kapilkumar N. Ingle
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  3. Vaibhav A. Mantri
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Correspondence to Sunil Kumar Sahu .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Bio Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India

    K. M. Gothandam

  2. Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Shivendu Ranjan

  3. Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Engineering and Technology, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Nandita Dasgupta

  4. Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Coll France, CEREGE, Aix-en-Provence, France

    Eric Lichtfouse

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Sahu, S.K., Ingle, K.N., Mantri, V.A. (2020). Epiphytism in Seaweed Farming: Causes, Status, and Implications. In: Gothandam, K., Ranjan, S., Dasgupta, N., Lichtfouse, E. (eds) Environmental Biotechnology Vol. 1. Environmental Chemistry for a Sustainable World, vol 44. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38192-9_9

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