Laboratory, Field and Deep Seawater Culture of Eucheuma serra-a High Lectin Yielding Red Alga

The red seaweed Eucheuma serra is a high yielding source of lectins. The plants were collected from a depth of 5-6 meters and cultured in the laboratory, field and deep seawater. A Daily Growht Rate (DGR) of 3.5% was observed at 18℃ with a low light of 30μmol photon $ m^{-2} · s^{_1}$ in the laboratory. When the plants were cultured in the field at different depths during winter onths of December and January, best growth was observed at 1 m depth and a DGR of 2.14±0.04% was recorded. The plants grown in the tank with a continuous supply of deep seawater showed a DGR of 8.2% The results indicate that E. serra can be cultivated in large scale both in deep seawater in the tank and in the field for the extraction of lectins at a commercial scale.