Seaweed cultivation in Vietnam for livestock methane reduction: A Top Sector Agri & Food SMP (Seed Money Project) report

The environmental conditions of Vietnam support a large collection of seaweeds but only about 10 speciesare economically relevant. Although local information is scarce and somewhat conflicting, our report gives areview of important Vietnamese seaweed species that have potential use in reduction of livestock methaneemissions. Current productivity status of local seaweed species are mostly lacking but discussed species maystill be used in various industrial sectors as food, feed, medicine, cosmetics, fuel, textile and biostimulants.Strategies that reduce livestock emissions and seaweeds’ toxicology profile are also discussed. The presenceof sufficient quantities of bioactive compounds such as halocarbons (e.g., bromoform), phlorotannins, fattyacids, nitrate, sulphate, saponins, alkaloids and sulphated carbohydrates in seaweeds may play critical rolesin reduction of enteric emissions via seaweed inclusion in livestock feed. The report ends by highlightingproposed species based on available local information, that should be further tested and validated with invitro and in vivo experiments. Our top selected seaweed species include Asparagopsis taxiformis, Sargassumspp, Ulva spp, E. dentriculatum, K. alvarezzi, C. lentillifera and Gracilaria spp.