The SouthEast Asian Fisheries Research and Development Center (SEAFDEC) is developing high-yielding and "ice-ice" disease-resistant seaweed strains in an aim to meet expanding industrial use and raise some 0 million in seaweed-carrageenan export.

Ice-ice, which manifests in seaweeds' whitening stalks and which withers its production, has become prevalent in extensive seaweed-producing areas in Mindanao and can wipe out crops particularly during the cold months.

SEAFDEC is now establishing a gene bank in order to put a marker on varieties that are ice-ice resistant while it is also developing other varieties that have good traits such as fast growth, high viscosity, high quality agar (usefulness as gel), all contributing to higher yield.

Tissue culture is used to ensure propagation of disease-resistant plantlets.

"We challenge their traits in adverse environments to make sure they can resist disease or find out if they retain their good quality in other (geographic) areas," said Dr. Evelyn Grace Ayson, SEAFDEC research head. "Maybe by the end of the year or next year, we will be able already to recommend a good variety."

The seaweed project is under a P3 million fund of SEAFDEC, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and National Fisheries Research and Development Institute .

The research institute is also developing sources of seaweed plantlets-particularly the euchema, kappaphycus (used for Philippine natural grade carrageenan), and the gracilaria (used as agar or gel). This is useful in propagating seaweeds since mother plants have already been deteriorating, causing shortage in good quality seedstocks.

It may take a longer time for SEAFDEC to commercialize an ice-ice disease resistant strain since researchers are still trying to identify a gene that can prove resistant to the disease.

"It has not yet been identified that this segment in DNA is the one that gives resistance to ice-ice," she said.

Once the good strains will have been developed, Joebert D. Toledo, SEAFDEC Aquaculture Chief, said these good varieties will be distributed by BFAR in seaweed-producing regions nationwide as BFAR is now establishing seed banks for plantlet availability. Among the prospective seed bank sites are Bungaw Tawi Tawi and Samar.

Seaweed is a raw material for semi-processed goods used in consumer, industrial, and food products including toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, soap, animal feed, meat binders ice cream, and jellies.

The country's carrageenan export ranged from $ 30 to $ 60 million from 1994 to 1998. Export destination are Great Britain, Northern Ireland, US, France, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, Italy, Hongkong, Mexico, Chile, New Zealand, Denmark, and Taiwan.

The country also exports raw seaweeds at $ 30 to $ 40 million over the same period. These are exported to France, South Korea, Denmark, Spain, China, Indonesia, and Germany.