Bacterial endophytes play a vital role in the growth and fitness of host plants from infection by phytopathogens. To our knowledge, however, little information is available on the endophytic bacterial composition in healthy and diseased Kappahycus alvarezii, one of the most important major sources of carrageenan industries, especially in Sabah. The main idea was to analyze and compare the composition of endophytic bacterial communities in healthy and diseased K. alvarezii isolated from Sabah, Malaysia. The data reveals the composition of endophytic bacterial microbiomes in healthy and diseased K. alvarezii isolated from Sabah. The isolated endophytes were identified using 16S rDNA sequencing. Taxonomic identification and phylogenetic tree analysis were done using the online BLAST (blastn) and MEGA11 software, respectively. The data presents the diversity of bacterial endosphere microbiomes found in healthy K. alvarezii which are composed of Bacillus, Cytobacillus and Priestia whereas Vibrio and Micrococcus occurred exclusively in the diseased K. alvarezii. Microbial comparative analysis between the healthy and diseased seaweed points to the potential of several Bacillus strains that may have biocontrol potential against Vibrio infection in seaweed such as the ice-ice disease. Raw data files are available at the GenBank, NCBI database under the accession number MZ570560 to MZ570580.
Commercial seaweed cultivation has undergone drastic changes to keep up with the increasing demand in terms of the quantity and quality of the algal biomass needed to meet the requirements of constant innovation in industrial applications. Diseases caused by both biotic and abiotic factors have been identified as contributing to the economic loss of precious biomass. Biosecurity risk will eventually affect seaweed production as a whole and could cripple the seaweed industry. The current review sheds light on the biosecurity measures that address issues in the seaweed industry pushing towards increasing the quantity and quality of algal biomass, research on algal diseases, and tackling existing challenges as well as discussions on future directions of seaweed research. The review is presented to provide a clear understanding of the latest biosecurity developments from several segments in the seaweed research, especially from upstream cultivation encompassing the farming stages from seeding, harvesting, drying, and packing, which may lead to better management of this precious natural resource, conserving ecological balance while thriving on the economic momentum that seaweed can potentially provide in the future. Recommended breeding strategies and seedling stock selection are discussed that aim to address the importance of sustainable seaweed farming and facilitate informed decision-making. Sustainable seaweed cultivation also holds the key to reducing our carbon footprint, thereby fighting the existential crisis of climate change plaguing our generation.