The global annual production of macroalgae is steadily increasing and amounted to 31.2 million tons (fresh weight) in 2016 ( FAO, 2018). Macroalgae are utilized as healthy food and feed ( Fleurence et al., 2012 Øverland et al., 2018), and as a raw material for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, bioenergy, and chemical industries ( Holdt and Kraan, 2011 Hafting et al., 2015 Milledge and Harvey, 2016 Fernand et al., 2017). They also provide a number of ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and nutrient absorption ( Buschmann et al., 2017 Duarte et al., 2017 Kim et al., 2017). Unlike terrestrial crops, macroalgae do not compete for arable land, fertilizer and freshwater resources ( Charrier et al., 2017). We also discuss the genetic diversity in wild populations, and how this diversity can be protected against genetic pollution, either by breeding and cultivating local populations, or by developing cultivars that are not able to establish in, or hybridize with, wild populations.Ĭultivated marine macroalgae can become an important source of human food in the future ( Duarte et al., 2009). Here, we explore and evaluate the various methods that could be used in kelp breeding and propose an initial simple and low-cost breeding strategy based on recurrent mixed hybridization and phenotypic selection within local populations. According to the published literature, genetic improvement of kelps in Asia has so far largely relied on utilization of heterosis expressed in certain combinations of parental material, sometimes species hybrids. Genetic improvement of cultivated species through recombination of alleles and selection (breeding) has ensured high productivity and product quality in both agri- and aquaculture and will likely do so for macroalgae cultivation and use as well. Domestication of species involves selection of traits that are desirable in cultivation and in the utilization of the harvested biomass. There is a range of species that could be utilized in different parts of the world, providing that protocols for reproduction, propagation, and cultivation are developed. Only a few species are currently cultivated, almost exclusively in Asia. 2Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, NorwayĬultivated kelps and other macroalgae have great potential in future provision of food, feed, bioenergy, fertilizer, and raw material for a range of chemical products including pharmaceuticals, food and feed additives, and cosmetics.1Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.
Franz Goecke 1, Gunnar Klemetsdal 2 and Åshild Ergon 1*
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