Seed collections or germplasm banks have been critical in the development of modern agriculture. In our view, macroalgae culture urgently requires a similar resource. To achieve this goal, we will use as a starting point the collections of microscopic forms of seaweed housed by MASH researchers to develop a germplasm bank with the initial objective of supporting basic and applied science and breeding programs. In the long term and working in collaboration with researchers from other research centers, we will advance towards its transformation into a national-level bank that will allow us to define standards of quality, traceability and protection of native diversity and future new varieties.

The germplasm bank currently housed by MASH researchers incorporates in a data management system, phenotypic and genotypic information associated with biological material isolated from the following species: Macrocystis pyrifera, Gracilaria chilensis, Chondrus crispus, Ectocarpus spp. and endophytes of different species of macroalgae. New phenotypic and genotypic data obtained in MASH will be incorporated into this repository and integrated into a meta-base associated with each strain to ensure accessibility and use of the information and biological material.