Etat des connaissances et perspectives de recherches sur la culture de Gracilariales (Gracilaria et Gracilariopsis) : application a la lagune de Bizerte

Abstract

Gracilaires constitute the main source for agar production and are also use for the extraction of other physioactives molecules of biotechnological interest. The two last decades were marked by an expansion of the surfaces of culture and by an increase in the number of the farmers mainly in Asia, Latin America and Africa. In Tunisia, the environmental conditions are favorable for the development of this activity. The first results obtained on an experimental scale in the lagoon of Bizerte are encouraging but have to be supported by technico-economic investigations to allow an industrial development of this activity. In this review, we approach the state of knowledge concerning the biology of the species and the physico-chemical parameters affecting its growth. An interest is granted to the various aspects relating to the culture of the species, in particular the modes of culture, the epiphytism and associated and faunal