title: Yucca schidigera extract--a bioresource for the reduction of ammonia from mariculture.
abstract: Extract of a desert plant, Yuccaschidigera (YUPE) at 0 mg L(-1) (control), 18, 36 and 72 mg L(-1) was added to seawater containing 30, 50 and 100 Kuruma shrimp Marsupenaeusjaponicus postlarvae (PL) per liter with or without aeration for 24h to study its effects on reducing ammonia excreted from the PL. Even at the lowest YUPE addition level and the highest PL density, no ammonia accumulated in both aerated and no-aerated set-ups for up to 12h. Ammonia accumulated only in the controls. YUPE showed more effective in reducing ammonia in seawater from this biogenic source than ammonia from chemical source used in previous studies. Consequently, YUPE is identified as a natural, safe, and effective solution for ammonia reduction in seawater and mariculture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Aquaculture, National Taiwan Ocean University, 2 Pei-Ning Road, Keelung 202-24, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Roberto A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Santacruz-Reyes
authors.forename: Yew-Hu
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chien
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D003445:Crustacea; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008386:Marine Biology / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000378:metabolism*; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014867:Water; D027623:Yucca / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D014867:Water; D000641:Ammonia