Prevalence of Ice-Ice Disease in Kappaphycus spp. and Eucheuma denticulatum Farms in Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi, Philippines

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.