A comparative growth analysis of two different seaweed seeds for cultivation in South Sulawesi
Randi Kurniawan (a), Muhammad Maula Razak (b), Agus Jaenuddin (c), Wahyu Saputra (d), Alin Halimatussadiah (e), Jamaluddin Fitrah Alam (f*)

a) Faculty of Economy and Business, Hasanuddin University
b) LOGOV Celebes
c) Yayasan Blue Seed Indonesia (YBSI)
d) South Sulawesi Provincial Marine Affairs and Fisheries Department
e) Faculty of Economics, University of Indonesia
f) Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Hasanuddin University
*alamjamaluddin[at]unhas.ac.id

Abstract

Seaweed plays an important role in the economy of South Sulawesi and Indonesia. To improve the productivity of seaweed in South Sulawesi, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries through the Directorate General of Aquaculture Fisheries distributed assistance packages of tissue culture seaweed seeds in seaweed cultivation centers. In this study, the use of tissue culture seaweed seeds was compared with the growth of seeds obtained by the vegetative method by the farmers. This study used primary data obtained from a survey with respondents from seaweed farmers in Pangkep, Bantaeng, and Takalar Regencies. The study results show that farmers who used tissue culture seaweed seeds from the assistance program have higher growth compared to vegetative seeds and lead to a better productivity. Comparing regions, there are also variations of growth, with higher growth for certain regions. This result confirms the tissue culture seaweed seeds assistance program is a success and can further improve the profitability of the farmers.

Keywords: Seaweed- Tissue culture- Growth- Seaweed seeds assistance program

Topic: Sustainable Aquaculture and Fisheries