SBIR-STTR Award

Red tropical macroalgae sparagopsis taxiformis presents an unmatched potential for reducing enteric methane emissions in ruminant livestock. With naturally high concentrations of secondary metabolites that impede the process of methanogenesis in ruminant stomachs taxiformis is an untapped resource for reducing methane production from one of the most significant sources of greenhouse gas. Currently livestock contributes 8-10% of total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With just a 0.5% feed inclusion of our algae we can reduce these emissions by up to 90%. However there is a limited production of taxiformis currently on the market. To meet the future demands for taxiformis production Symbrosia proposes establishing an taxiformis nursery with individuals conferring desirable traits such as improved yield bromoform concentrations and adaptability to region-specific temperatures. During this proposed project we will phenotype taxiformis individuals utilize transcriptomics for secondary metabolite production and generate a seed bank for future research with production partners. Phase I efforts will advance the US field of macroalgae aquaculture prioritizing smarter macroalgae industry development for essential environmental issues. Our results will immediately apply to current operations and set the stage for Phase II breeding objectives. Intellectual merit. Despite the variety of practical applications of improved macroalgal strains developed strains with valuable commercial and environmental potential lack for most species. Programs for terrestrial plants and even marine microalgae are far better established and offer useful information to the efforts of breeding macroalgae. With this in mind we seek to improve methods for macroalgae breeding programs with experiments designed for high- throughput and statistical significance across both phenotypic and genotypic analyses of multi-island sparagopsis diversity. Broader/commercial impact. We propose establishing germplasm of taxiformis with desirable characteristics such as high yield high bromoform concentration and disease resistance and advance our breeding materials through selective breeding. The underlying genetics of these traits largely remain unknown and through this project we will advance breeding research for macroalgae and establish viable lines for environmental use. We will build a pipeline to phenotype taxiformis on the traits of interests effectively. Improved taxiformisseed stock will immediately become available for commercial production in Kailua-KonaHawai'i. The field of marine macroalgae lacks sound breeding results and programs despite progress from other industries. Our efforts will promote the vast potential for the application of macroalgae to mitigate environmental issues.