{
  "id": 15534065,
  "title": "Comparison of the performance of sporophytes derived from narrow and wide genetic crosses between strains of the cultivated kelp Saccharina latissima",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/comparison-of-the-performance-of-sporophytes-derived-from-narrow-and",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-18T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.12.758020v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a study examining the potential of local breeding strategies for improving Saccharina latissima strains, researchers compared the performance of sporophytes derived from narrow and wide genetic crosses between strains from two localities: southern Brittany, France, and the Faroe Islands. Despite analyzing growth rates and cell wall composition of F1 hybrids, the study found no clear advantage of inter-population crosses over intra-population crosses. Consequently, the researchers concluded that breeding based on locally-resourced strains is a viable approach for current strain selection programs. Additionally, the study established a substantial collection of gametophyte strains from various sites, demonstrating that these strains maintain the ability to become fertile after more than ten years in culture.",
  "summary": "Seaweed mariculture allows sustainable production of large quantities of biomass for multiple downstream applications but the genotypes cultivated by this industry need to be improved to increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness. It is important that the genetic improvement of cultivated strains does not lead to the introduction of foreign genetic material into wild seaweed populations, which…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}