Prevalence of Ice-Ice Disease in Kappaphycus spp. and Eucheuma denticulatum Farms in Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi, Philippines
Albaris B. Tahiluddin, Samiya U. Damsik
Abstract
Kappaphycus spp. and Eucheuma denticulatum are commercially farmed in the world, notably in tropical countries such as Indonesia, Philippines, and Malaysia. Diseases and pests, particularly ice-ice disease, are the major hurdles in the sustainability of eucheumatoid seaweed culture. In this study, ice-ice disease prevalence in Kappaphycus and Eucheuma farms in Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi, Philippines, was assessed and compared according to species, farm depth, and time. Results revealed that in deep water farms, ice-ice disease prevalence was significantly lower in K. striatus (4.29±0.97%) than in K. alvarezii (10.53±2.64%) in July. In shallow water farms, E. denticulatum had the highest ice-ice prevalence (21.97±1.73%) significantly among the assessed seaweed species during August, and K. alvarezii had the lowest ice-ice disease occurrence (5.43±1.98%) significantly during September. In terms of depth water farm and time comparison, ice-ice disease prevalence (7.41±1.50% - 27.04±4.66%) in deep water (exceeding 2.47±0.16 m during low tide) did not differ significantly from that prevalence (11.35±1.69% - 12.91±1.93%) in shallow water farms (0.61±0.29 m during low tide) across time. This study suggests that ice-ice disease is still a prevalent and persistent problem in eucheumatoid seaweed farming.