Effects of seeding method, timing and site selection on the production and quality of sugar kelp, Saccharina latissima: A Danish case study

Abstract In recent years, research projects and enterprises have documented that the sugar kelp, Saccharina latissima, can be successfully cultivated in Northern European waters. There is a need however, for optimizing production methods to achieve an economically viable and competitive business. A novel direct seeding method, applying juvenile sporophytes directly onto textiles immediately before deployment, could be part of the optimization, as it obviates the nursery process, and can be combined with novel seeding materials, such as non-woven textiles. An extensive comparison of biomass yield and quality was made between direct and traditional seeding methods and substrates, including three deployment campaigns in three different cultivation sites: Textile ribbons were directly seeded with juvenile sporophytes (