With three years of focussed research into the breeding and cultivation of the red seaweed Palmaria palmata, commonly known as dulse, Dutch seaweed supplier Hortimare has announced significant progress made in both land-based and outdoor farming of the species.
The seaweed innovation company proudly released an update on its trial lines of dulse grown in collaboration with the Cornish Seaweed Company. Starting from lengths of twine seeded with algae, the trial has yielded large, uniform blades of dulse, suggesting that the Cornish farm shows promise for a scale up in the near future.
Hortimare also announced the development of protocols for the year-round cultivation of dulse, from spore to mature plant, in an on-land indoor facility. According to the announcement, each individual plant grown in this manner can reach a weight of at least 1 kg, with further growth following after fractioning. This approach has reportedly resulted in growth rates of 11 percent per day.
“Both cultivation methods show great promise. Land-based cultivation offers a controlled, year-round supply, while sea-based cultivation is cost-effective, energy-efficient and provides valuable ecosystem services. Our research will continue to advance both methods and establish the groundwork for breeding,” announced Hortimare, in the update.
