Improve seaweed management and genetics to increase efficiencies and profitability -- the first objective is to develop resilient and predictable seed production systems for cultivated seaweed, in…

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Central Program Planning Coordination and Support awarded the University of Maine System $430,005 under a Cooperative Agreement on July 6, 2026, to improve seaweed management and genetics for sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) cultivation and increase production efficiencies.

The award funds two integrated objectives. First, the recipient will develop resilient and predictable seed production systems by establishing a comprehensive biobank of wild-type clonal gametophyte lines, performing genotyping and high-throughput resiliency screening to produce a resiliency matrix across the biobank library, and refining a scalable gametophyte-based nursery pathway for cultivar development through strain selection. Second, the recipient will improve production efficiency and value-added utilization by assessing seed from foundational crosses of wild-type clonal gametophytes, quantifying temporal-spatial variation in commercially important biochemical components in cultivated seaweeds, and developing post-harvest stabilization methods. Work encompasses farm engineering, crop performance assessment, biochemical quantification, and primary processing.

The award is funded under USDA NIFA's Agricultural Research Basic and Applied Research program (CFDA 10.001). Performance occurs in Walpole and South Bristol, Maine, through July 5, 2027. The University of Maine operates as the research and sponsored programs division of the University of Maine System.

Improve seaweed management and genetics to increase efficiencies and profitability -- the first objective is to develop resilient and predictable seed production systems for cultivated seaweed, in this case sugar kelp (saccharina latissima). Cultivar development through strain selection coupled with the establishment and refining of a scalable gametophyte-based nursery pathway are central to achieving this goal. To begin progress towards these goals, establishment of a comprehensive biobank of wild-type clonal gametophyte lines will be foundational to selective breeding and nursery development programs. This biobank will be coupled with genotyping and high-throughput resiliency screening resulting in a resiliency matrix mapped across the entire biobank library. The second objective is to improve production efficiency and value added utilization of seaweeds, which crosscuts farm engineering and design, crop performance, biochemical quantification, and primary processing. Achieving predictability of yields, understanding the temporal-spatial variation in commercially important biochemical component concentrations in cultivated seaweeds, and end-use informed stabilization of post-harvest seaweeds are all important metrics towards achieving this objective. Initial assessment of seed produced from foundational crosses of wild-type clonal gametophytes (identified in objective 1) will be an important first step, coupled with longitudinal and spatial assessment of sulfated polysaccharides.