Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science
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Pertanika · Universiti Putra Malaysia Press

Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science

Official journal of Universiti Putra Malaysia for peer-reviewed research across tropical agriculture and allied agricultural sciences.

e-ISSN 2231-8542 ISSN 1511-3701
Research article

The Effect of Cultivation Techniques on the Growth Rate of Marine Microalgae Species from the Coastal Waters of Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia

Nurzafirah Mazlan and Ridzwan Hashim

KeywordsCarboy, microalgae, mass culture, polythene bag
Article content

Abstract

This study evaluates the growth of five species of marine microalgae; Chaetoceros muelleri, Isochrysis galbana, Pavlova lutheri, Nitzschia acicularis and Navicula sp., isolated from coastal waters of Kudat in Sabah, Malaysia, using different cultivation techniques for mass outdoor culture. The microalgae were locally isolated and identified based on their morphology. The growth of the microalgae was compared between carboy and polythene bag culture. Results showed that cell count for all species was significantly higher in the polythene bag culture compared to carboy culture (p < 0.05). The time to harvest was also shorter (2-3 days) compared to carboy culture. In particular, Chaetoceros muelleri produced the highest cell count of 87 X 106 cells/ml and shortest time of 2 - 3 days to harvest. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) in cell count between indoor and outdoor mass culture, and these suggest the feasibility to culture the microalgae outdoor, reduce hatchery operation cost and save time.