This research project will focus on the mechanisms that determine the effectiveness of salt stress in increasing the accumulation of nitrogenous compounds in microalgal biofertilizers. A second focus will be the identification and quantification of nitrogenous compounds in the solutes of cyanobacteria and chlorophycophyta microalgal biofertilizers as a result of high-saline environments. During the planning period the PI will develop a proposal to study the nature and function of nitrogenous solutes accumulated by microalgae in response to high-saline environments during the term of the preliminary study. 13C NMR spectroscopy will be employed to quantify and identify the various species of nitrogenous compounds found in the algae as a result of high-saline environments these preliminary data will strengthen the competitive proposal.
