Cryopreservation of gametophytes of Laminaria japonica (phaeophyta) with two-step cooling: interactions between variables related to post-thaw survival.

Little attention has been given to the effect of interactions between different cryogenic parameters on the viability of cryopreserved algae. Gametophytes of Laminaria japonica were cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen by two-step cooling, and interactions were tested for optimizing the cooling protocol and improving freeze-tolerance. UNOVA of a general linear model suggested that interactions between both cooling rate and holding time and between holding temperature and holding time significantly affected the survival of thawed gametophytes.