Objective
Laminaria digitata (Linné) Lamouroux (Laminariales, Phaeophyta) produces an alginic acid of high quality, which is greatly appreciated on the world market. This species also contains large amounts of iodine, an element that can be thought of as either an interesting industrial by-product or an important grade in food products. The goal of this research is to lay down the biological and genetical bases for the genetic improvement of Laminaria digitata, with the initial aim of breeding a higher quality supply of this raw material for the production of alginate. An additional, long-term goal is to select varieties with modified iodine content, that would be suitable for human consumption (low in iodine) or for the retrieval of iodine from the alginate industry effluents (high in iodine). This project combines refinement of the cultivation techniques in hatchery with an evaluation of the genetic resources for various traits of agronomic interest. In addition life history manipulations will be undertaken, aimed at speeding up future selection programmes. In practice, two complementary approaches will be undertaken: 1) investigation of reproductive biology, in order to master the production of seedlings, cut down generation time or by-pass genetic recombination; and 2) population and quantitative genetics, in order to assess and take advantage of the genetic variability in kelp populations. Experimentally, this includes the following lines of research: manipulation of the sexual as well as of the asexual life cycles of Laminaria digitata; evaluation of the variability and heritability of various quantitative traits such as growth rate, iodine content, yield and quality of alginates, and resistance to epiphytism. A preliminary, methodological work is required, i. e., development of molecular tools to investigate genetic polymorphism.
Fields of science
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
44037 Nantes
France