Status of genetic studies and breeding of Saccharina japonica in China

摘要

Saccharina japonica is one of the most important economic brown seaweeds.It is intensively cultivated on large scales in a number of Asian countries.The current annual,global production is about 8 million tons valued as about 4 million US dollars.Considerable efforts have been made to S.japonica in China since the 1950s on its cultivation.To further advance the cultivation of this species,detailed research of genetics and breeding studies are required.Recently,with the advancement of sequencing techniques,the genomics and comparative transcriptomics data were yielded,and quantitative trait locus(QTL)mapping has been conducted,along with genetic linkage maps constructed to this species.New strains have been bred and selected,with better characteristics,e.g.higher seawater temperature resistances and higher yields.In this review,we present the current status of genetic and breeding studies that have been performed to S.japonica in China,and provide guidelines for future developments in the areas of genetic selection and breeding for this species.