Courses / Seeding

Course Content

Processing Sorus Tissue
Prepare Your Space Examine and Isolate the Sorus Tissue Clean the Sorus Tissue Dip in Cleaning Solution Package and Store Overnight
Spore Release
Prepare Spools and Seeding Equipment
Rehydrate the Sorus Tissue Get a Spore Count Strain the Spore Solution Calculate Spore Density Option to Repackage Sorus Tissue
Seed Your Spools
Rinse Your Spools with Filtered Seawater Inoculate Your Spools: Seeding Tubes Inoculate Your Spools: Culture Tanks Move Your Spools to Culture Tanks
Resources & Tools
Kelp Spore Density Calculator
Download file
Processing Sorus Tissue in Kelp Nurseries: Step-by-Step Guide
Download file
Kelp Spore Seeding Protocol for Nursery Technicians: Step-by-Step Guide
Download file
Lesson 2 Spore Release

Back to: Seeding

Rehydrate the Sorus Tissue

After your packaged sorus tissue has spent 16-24 hours in the fridge, collect it, and bring it into your hatchery space. As you unwrap the tissue, you may notice a spore print on your paper towels; this is a great sign, because it indicates that the sori are ready to release their spores. If you don’t see a spore print, don’t be worried; a good spore release is still possible. 

Notice the golden color on the paper towel to the left; this is a sign of a slight spore release from overnight and is a good sign that your sorus tissue is ready.

Put your tissue into a beaker or flask, and then fill that container with chilled, filtered seawater until all the sori are submerged. Once the pieces of sorus are reintroduced to seawater, spore release can happen instantaneously, and the release water will turn cloudy. Sometimes a peak spore release can take up to 40 minutes or more; don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t happen right away. Keep checking your solution every 5-10 minutes until you see it turn cloudy. 

To further encourage spore release, you can agitate the tissue by swirling the flask or gently stirring with a rod. 

Example of a good spore release. Notice the murky brown color of the filtered seawater; those are millions of spores swimming around the flask!
Video