Population growth and productivity of the native microalga Chlorella Peruviana under different salinities

All rights reserved. The aim of the study was to evaluate five salinity levels on the growth and productivity of Chlorella peruviana Chacon, a native strain of the Mellisera salt lagoon in Chilca, Peru. Five treatments were used according to the salinity level: T1, 38; T2, 44; T3, 59; T4, 88; and T5, 176, with a temperature of 27±2 °C and a light intensity of 1250±10 lx. Each treatment was done in triplicate in flasks of 250, 500 and 1000 ml. Cultures were performed with f/2 medium (Guillard), constant aeration and photoperiod of 24:00 h. The results indicated that T1 showed better results in density (42±2.65x106 cel/ml), dry biomass (397.9±2.3 mg/l) and chlorophyll (80.2±2.3 mg/l), but with adequate yields at higher levels of salinity. It is concluded that the growth and productivity of C. peruviana presents a decreasing trend in relation to the level of salinity.