A genetic method that can increase biomass in algae by 50 to 80 percent
Research at Iowa State University has led to discovery of a genetic method that can increase biomass in algae by 50 to 80 percent. The breakthrough comes from expressing certain genes in algae that increase the amount of photosynthesis in the plant, which leads to more biomass. Researcher Martin Spalding at Iowa State University says – there is no doubt in my mind this brings us closer to affordable, domestic biofuel.
The trick to increasing biomass is to increase photosynthetic carbon conversion into organic matter under carbon dioxide enrichment conditions. In experiments to get the algae type to produce more biomass, researchers first expressed LCIA and LCIB separately. Each effort granted a significant 10 to 15 percent increase in biomass. But expressing the two genes together resulted in the 50 to 80 percent biomass increase.
Take me to the originating page . . .
Bookmark this page for “algae biofuel” and check back regularly as these articles update on a very frequent basis. The view is set to “news”. Try clicking on “video” and “2” for more articles.
