Credit: Rodrigo Rivera González (Chile)
The photos show phases of the Macrocystis pyrifera production in a specialized laboratory in Chile.
As the organism reaches 10-cm long, they are transferred for grow-out in the open sea, attached with a fine polirope in the base of the plantule to a longline 25-mm diameter – 100 m long. Better results have been achieved in the open sea with the longlines settled in protected áreas compared to those installed in areas exposed to strong waves. The laboratory used in such operation is an insulated container with temperature control of 8 °C. The process begins with obtaining the gametophytes which are cultured in sterile 500-ml bottles, until the sporophytes appear. Then they are transferred to 1-lt bottles and afterwards to 10-lt polycarbonate cylinders. The seawater is enriched with Provasoli media. The water of the cylinders is changed weekly. After the plantules become 5-cm long, they are transferred to 50-lt polycarbonate cylinders, where they are cultured until they become at least 10-cm long, when they are transferred to the sea in expanded polystyrene boxes with humid sponge sheets and gelpack to keep the temperature as low as 8 – 12 °C.
