(The Fish Site) A hi-tech piece of lab equipment that could be used for the first time to help breed disease-resistant algae for the seaweed-growing industry has been delivered to the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) this week.
Representatives from BMG LABTECH have recently delivered a NEPHELOstar to Dr Claire Gachon, senior lecturer in molecular phycology at SAMS.
In a novel application for this type of instrument, Dr Gachon will use the NEPHELOstar to measure biomass and determine which algal cultures are resistant to different diseases. This, in turn, will help SAMS breed seaweed strains most resistant to diseases.
Dr Gachon said: “We will use this state-of-the-art equipment to identify algae that are resistant to disease. We will then correlate the data with genotype information to find out which strains are the most suitable for breeding seaweed.
“This is important research for the seaweed industry globally; just like in land-based agriculture, disease can be devastating to the production line.” READ MORE