GROWTH AND PRODUCTION OF SEAWEED Kappaphycus alvarezii WITH VERTICULTURE METHOD APPLICATION IN THE BUTON CENTRAL DISTRICT, SOUTH EAST SULAWESI PROVINCE
The rapid development of seaweed industry which is producing carrageenan, increasing demand for the production of seaweed as the raw material to 5-10 % per year. Seaweed export demand ever-increasing need support development activities to spur production. Nowadays, seaweed Kappaphycus alvarezii cultivators generally still apply the long line method (the utilization of surface waters), so do not take advantage of all the water column optimally for optimizing the production of seaweed. The application of new methods of cultivation K. alvarezii "vertikultur" is expected to be one of the alternative development. The aim of this study was to determine the growth and production of K. alvarezii cultivated in verticulture. The study was conducted in March - June 2015 in the Doda Bahari Village, Sangia Wambulu Subdistrict, Buton Tengah District, South East Sulawesi Province.
The units are arranged experiment with completely randomized design with 3 repetitions. Construction of cultivation using floating raft size of 10 x 10 m2 containing 36 vertivulture nets size of 5 x 2 m2/net. Seaweed seedlings to the initial weight of 50 g tied on the verticulture nets with a knot spacing of 20 cm. In addition to using verticulture, seaweed cultivation is also done using long line with the same of area scope and spacing between the seed clumps as a comparison.
The results showed that daily growth rate K. alvarezii cultivated with verticulture method is 4.38% and the long line is 6.97% . Production of K. alvarezii with verticulture method is 1,900 kg/cycle/10x10 m2 whereas long line method is 202 kg/cycle/10x10 m2, then increase production with verticulture method as much as 470.30% per unit area than the long line method. Thus the verticulture method is very perspectives to increase seaweed production in Indonesia