Growth Of Duckweed Research Articles

Enhanced biomass production and pollutant removal by duckweed in mixotrophic conditions

Duckweed is a potential biomass source for alternative energy production. This work reports the effects of trophic modes on growth rates, biomass accumulation, and removal rates of pollutant by duckweed. Glucose, fructose, galactose, sucrose, and maltose all supported heterotrophic and mixotrophic growth of duckweed. The mixotrophic growth rate was 4.98 and 6.22 times higher than those in heterotrophic and photoautotrophic conditions, respectively. Notably, mixotrophy produced more biomass than the simple sum of the biomass accumulation during heterotrophy and photoautotrophy. Mixotrophy was also superior in starch and protein production, as well as in removal rates of nutrients and organic carbon from the growth medium. However, the starch content of duckweed grown heterotrophically was 2.06 times higher than in mixotrophy, suggesting a combination of mixotrophy and heterotrophy as an effective strategy for starch-rich biomass production. This study thus provides a paradigm for future studies supporting duckweed-based biomass production and organic wastewater treatment.

Native Growth and Conservation of Duckweed (Lemnaceae) in Jordan

Duckweeds are the world's smallest flowering plants. Its existence is affected by the water quality and availability. The increased water demand and water scarcity in most of the Mediterranean countries as Jordan have caused remarkable lowering in the water-table which reduced floods and disappearance of the seasonal lakes. Due to this, aquatic plants that grow on good quality of fresh water have disappeared totally. Therefore, this paper highlights the native growth and conservation of duckweed (Lemnaceae) in Jordan. It also focuses on the identification of water sources for duckweed's movement. Field surveys were conducted to identify water source for water bodies that contain duckweeds. These surveys included visits to the Zarqa river, dams, irrigation ponds and Jordan valley. The source of water for duckweed movement and availability was determined. Water samples from the targeted areas were analyzed for selected parameters as pH, EC, NO3, PO4, BOD5, Zn, Pb, Cd and Cu. The results showed that King Abdullah Canal and Zarqa river are the water sources that encourage the duckweeds growth. In Sukhnah, Jerash and Jordan valley areas, water analysis ranges (mg L-1) are: NO3 0.7-38, PO4 0.3-7.6 and BOD5 0-20. The pH range value is 7.1-8.1 and EC range value is 1.62-2.5 mS cm-1.The heavy metals values are, Zn is <0.02 mg L-1, Pb is <0.01 mg L-1, Cd is <0.002 mg L-1 and Cu is <0.01 mg L-1. It can be concluded that mitigation measures are highly needed to overcome and altering the quality of the natural water flowing and participation of governmental institutions is also required for the success of applying mitigation measures to preserve the aquatic plants.

Effects of water flow rate and surface cover plant density on the growth of duckweed (Lemna minor L.)

Globally, agriculture sector is facing unprecedented challenges in producing fertilizers and increasing the amount of fertilizer production without having negative impact on the environment. Thus, the organic fertilizers are needed to be produced as they do not give any damages to the environment. Duckweed plant has a lot of potentials that can be used in the agriculture sector. This plant can breed in approximately 16-48 hours by splitting. The water needs and its breeding speed ability are the basis for conducting this research. The research objective was to determine the effect of water flow rate and surface cover plant density on the growth and yield of duckweed plants. This research was conducted in November–December 2018 in Cangkringan District, Sleman, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The experiment was arranged in a split plot design. The main plot was irrigation water flow rate, consisting of two levels, namely large water flow rate (0.336 L.second-1) and small water flow rate (0.085 L.second-1). The subplot was the density of the duckweed plant surface cover, consisting of 10%, 20%, 40% and 60%. The results of this study indicated there was no effect of water flow rate on the plant growth, yield, and yield quality of duckweed plants. The C/N ratio of the duckweed plants fulfilled the requirement to be used as green manure.

Surface modification induced cuprous oxide nanoparticle toxicity to duckweed at sub-toxic metal concentrations

Nanoparticle capping agents are critical for controlling the growth, oxidation state, and final particle size during aqueous synthesis. However, despite the known phytotoxicity of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) to plants, it is used to synthesize metal oxide nanoparticles of uniform size and with mesoporous structure. Among the few studies that have investigated how CTAB influences nanoparticle toxicity, CTAB has never been identified as the primary cause of nanoparticle toxicity in environmental systems; rather nanoparticle surface charge or morphology was identified as the driver of toxicity in environmentally relevant systems. In the current study, CTAB release from CTAB surface modified Cu2O nanoparticles (SM-Cu2O NPs) inhibited duckweed (Landoltia punctata) growth, even when administered at subtoxic Cu concentrations. Organic ligands, such as humic acid (HA) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), lessened growth inhibition associated with exposure to SM-Cu2O NPs, likely through electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions with CTAB. Such results highlight the need for a more holistic approach to nanoparticle surface modification and improved communication between toxicologists and synthetic chemists to develop green alternatives for nanoparticle synthesis.

An environmental concentration of aged microplastics with adsorbed silver significantly affects aquatic organisms

Microplastics are very complex pollutants; they can be made of many polymer types and exist in various shapes and sizes. When they enter the environment they are affected by biotic and abiotic factors that cause their properties to change. In this context, the aim of our study was to evaluate the extent to which biofouling affects the properties and toxicity of microplastics. Cosmetic polyethylene microbeads were incubated in stream water for four weeks resulting in biofouling and aging. Subsequently, the changes in properties (sinking, particle size, adsorption, and leaching of model metal – silver) and the microplastics toxicity to daphnids Daphnia magna and duckweed Lemna minor were evaluated. Pristine microplastics did not affect daphnids but they significantly affected the root growth of duckweed. On the other hand, reference natural particles (beech sawdust) did not show any negative effects. We observed significant differences in the properties of aged versus pristine microplastics. When compared to pristine microplastics, aged microplastics adsorbed more silver and the subsequent leaching of silver was more intensive, especially in the medium with an acidic pH. Microplastics with adsorbed silver had a high ecotoxicological potential and at environmentally relevant concentrations affected both daphnids and duckweed. This study suggests that biofouling is an important parameter that affects microplastics properties, pollutant adsorption and release into the environment, and toxicity. Overall, there are significant alterations of the microplastics properties, behaviour, and fate in the environment.

Combined toxic effects of microcystin-LR and phenanthrene on growth and antioxidant system of duckweed (Lemna gibba L.)

Microcystins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons commonly co-exist in eutrophic freshwater environments. However, their combined toxicity remains unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the combined toxic effects of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) and phenanthrene (Phe) on duckweed (Lemna gibba L.) during a short-term exposure (7 d). L. gibba was exposed to a range of environmentally relevant concentrations of MC-LR (5, 50, 250, 500 μg/L) and Phe (0.1, 1, 5, 10 μg/L), both individually and in MC-LR + Phe mixtures (5 + 0.1, 50 + 1, 250 + 5, 500 + 10 μg/L). Subsequently, biomarkers of toxicity such as growth, chlorophyll-a, and antioxidant enzyme activity (catalase, superoxide dismutase, and peroxidase) were analyzed in L. gibba. Growth and the antioxidant system of L. gibba were not significantly inhibited by Phe alone, whereas higher concentrations of individual MC-LR (≥50 μg/L) significantly inhibited growth and induced oxidative stress. Based on Abott's formula, their interaction effects were concentration dependent. Antagonistic effects were observed when exposed to combinations of lower concentrations of MC-LR and Phe (≤50 + 1 μg/L), while additive or synergistic effects were induced at higher concentrations of both compounds (≥250 + 5 μg/L). Moreover, higher concentrations of Phe (≥5 μg/L) increased the accumulation of MC-LR in L. gibba. Our results suggested that the toxic effects of MC-LR and phenanthrene were exacerbated only when they co-exist in water bodies at relatively high concentrations. Consequently, co-existence of MC-LR and Phe at low levels are unlikely to exacerbate ecological hazards to L. gibba in most aquatic environments, at least based on responses of this plant.

Growth and nutrient removal efficiency of duckweed (lemna minor) from synthetic and dumpsite leachate under artificial and natural conditions.

Sustainable management of leachate produced from the dumpsite is one of the major concerns in developing countries Aquatic plants such as duckweed have the potential to remove pollutants from wastewater which can also be cost-effective and feasible options for leachate treatment. Therefore, the objective of our present study was to examine the growth and nutrient removal efficiency of duckweed (Lemna minor) on leachate. Three tests were performed each by growing lemna minor on synthetic leachate under controlled conditions and on dumpsite leachate under natural conditions. During each test, duckweed was grown in 300 ml plastic containers with a surface area of 25.8 cm2. About 60 mg of fresh mass of duckweed was grown on 250 ml leachate at an internal depth of 9.5 cm. Results revealed that, in comparison to synthetic leachate, duckweed removed Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), nitrogen (N), and phosphorous (P) more efficiently from dumpsite leachate under natural climatic conditions. However, the amounts of N and P absorbed into duckweed body mass were about 16% and 35% respectively more at synthetic leachate under controlled conditions. Maximum growth rate of duckweed (7.03 g m-2 day-1) was also observed for synthetic leachate in comparison to the growth rate of 4.87 g m-2 day-1 at dumpsite leachate. Results of this study provide a useful interpretation of duckweed growth and nutrient removal dynamics from leachate under natural and laboratory conditions.

Phytoremediation of Maninjau Lake water using Minute Duckweed (Lemna perpusilla Torr.)

Lake Maninjau is a tecto-volcanic lake in West Sumatra, which is currently facing eutrophication problem and urgently needs measures to be recovered. A preliminary experiment was carried out to assess the possibility of using minute duckweed (Lemna perpusilla Torr.) for healing the lake water, while also producing biomass for alternative feed. This experiment was carried out in The Unit for Technology Transfer of Lake Restoration – Indonesian Institute of Sciences, which located next to Maninjau Lake. It employed 9 plastic containers of 30X20X20 cm3 filled with lake water taken from 3 locations of different level nutrient contamination. As much as 10 g minute duckweed was put into each container and let to grow for 9 days. Observation on the plant growth and biomass productivity along with the water nutrient concentration was carried out every 3 days. At the end of experiment duckweed biomass was sampled for proximate analysis. The results shows that Maninjau Lake water supported only sub-optimal growth of the duckweed, indicated by low growth rate (ranged 8-22 %/day) as well as the biomass protein content (13-15 % DW). The duckweed, however, can eliminate up to 94% phosphate and 54% total in-organic nitrogen from the water, which also indicating that phosphorous was the limiting factor for duckweed growth in the lake.

Microbial community succession and pollutants removal of a novel carriers enhanced duckweed treatment system for rural wastewater in Dianchi Lake basin

Carriers strengthened duckweed treatment system (CDW), duckweed treatment system (DW) and water hyacinth treatment system (WH) were developed to treat rural wastewater in Dianchi Lake basin. Results showed that adding microbial carrier did not affect the growth and biomass components of duckweed. The following features were discovered in the CDW system. First, the NO3−-N and TN removal efficiencies were the highest among three systems, reaching 80.02% and 56.42%, respectively. Secondly, Illumina sequencing revealed the highest microbial diversity. Thirdly, a distinct succession of microbial community was observed. Rhodobacter, Bacteria vadinCA02, C39 and Flavobacterium dominated in the start-up stage, and contributed to biofilm formation and pollutants degradation. Acinetobacter, Planctomyces and Methylibium significantly increased in the stable stage, and contributed to nitrogen removal. Finally, highly abundant plant growth-promoting bacteria were found. Comprehensive analysis indicated that the functional bacteria community was closely related to the pollutant removals, plant growth and system operating status.

Herbicidal effects of Chinese herbal medicine Coptis chinensis Franch. extract on duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleid.)

Dense mat formed by duckweeds is a significant threat to fisheries, landscape, ecological environment, and economies around the world. Effective biological management strategies to control duckweeds are quite limited. In the present study, we determined the effect of the extract of Coptis chinensis, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, on the growth of duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza). The growth of S. polyrhiza was strongly inhibited by the C. chinensis extract. The number of fronds and fresh weight of the plants were significantly decreased after a 96-h treatment. Furthermore, the chlorophyll (a, b, and a + b) content was remarkably decreased by the C. chinensis extract. The 24-, 48-, 72- and 96-h-IC50 of the C. chinensis extract to S. polyrhiza were 6.56, 1.06, 0.81, and 0.33 g DW eq. extract L−1, respectively. In addition, the C. chinensis extract was found to be safer for the submerged macrophytes (such as Vallisneria natans: 96-h-EC50 was 10.39 g DW eq. extract L−1) and aquatic animals (such as zebrafish: 96-h-LC50 was 20.35 g DW eq. extract L−1). These results showed that the C. chinensis extract was inhibitory to the growth and reproduction of S. polyrhiza. Moreover, the field test results also confirmed that the inhibitory effect of C. chinensis extract on S. polyrhiza. Thus, we recommend the use of the C. chinensis extract as an effective and safe botanical herbicide for duckweed management in water ecosystems.

The effects of photoperiod and nutrition on duckweed (Landoltia punctata) growth and starch accumulation

Duckweed has been considered as a renewable feedstock for bioethanol production due to its fast generation of biomass and high starch accumulation capability. In order to obtain high starch content in duckweed, Landoltia punctata was cultivated under 16:8 h or 24:0 h light/dark photoperiod cycles, each combined with a nutrient starvation or Hoagland’s solution. The results showed that the starch percentage and starch yield under 24:0 h/nutrient starvation was higher than other conditions, with the maximum percentage of 60.03% and 76.45 g m−2 (dry weight) in 21 days. Moreover, the results showed that long photoperiod cycles and nutrient starvation had more positive effects on starch accumulation, but nutritional concentration has no significant effect on the biomass production in short-term culturing (7 days). Notably, the biomass yield was: 24:0 h/Hoagland’s > 24:0 h/nutrient starvation > 16:8 h/Hoagland’s > 16:8 h/nutrient starvation in 21 days. This study provides optimized photoperiods and nutritional conditions for future industrial large-scale duckweed cultivation.

Effects of treated industrial wastewaters and temperatures on growth and enzymatic activities of duckweed (Lemna minor L.)

The efficacy of the removal of contaminants from wastewater depends on physico-chemical properties of pollutants and the efficiency of treatment plant. Sometimes, low amounts of toxic compounds can be still present in the treated sewage. In this work we considered the effects of contaminant residues in treated wastewaters and of temperatures on Lemna minor L. Treated effluent waters were collected, analyzed and used as duckweed growth medium. In order to better understand the effects of micropollutants and seasonal variation, the plants were grown under ambient conditions for seven days in summer and winter. Relative growth rate, pigments and phenolic compounds concentrations were determined, as well as the activities of catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (G-POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO).The pollutant concentrations varied in the two seasons, depending on the industrial and municipal activities and efficiency of treatments. Treated waters contained heavy metals, nitrogenous and phosphorus compounds, surfactants and hydrocarbons. Compared to the control, duckweed growth of treated plants decreased by 25% in summer, while in the winter due to the lower temperatures and the presence of pollutants was completely impeded. The amounts of photosynthetic pigments of treated plants were not significantly affected in the summer, while they were higher than the control in the winter when the effluent had a high nitrogen amount. High CAT activity was registered in both seasons. Treated plants had significantly lower APX activity in the summer (53%) and winter (59%) respect to the controls. The observed inhibition of the peroxidase activities in the exposed plants, confirms the controversy existing in the literature about the variability of enzymatic response in stress condition.

Assessment of duckweed (Lemna gibba L.) growth on dam water surface as green cost-effective process to improving water quality

Assessment of duckweed (Lemna gibba L.) growth on dam water surface as green cost-effective process to improving water quality

Dissolved organic matter reduces CuO nanoparticle toxicity to duckweed in simulated natural systems.

With increasing demand for recycled wastewater for irrigation purposes, there is a need to evaluate the potential for manufactured nanomaterials in waste water to impact crop production and agroecosystems. Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) have previously been shown to negatively impact the growth of duckweed (Landoltia punctata) a model aquatic plant consumed by water fowl and widely found in agricultural runoff ditches in temperate climates. However, prior studies involving CuO NP toxicity to duckweed have focused on systems without the presence of dissolved organic matter (DOM). In the current study, duckweed growth inhibition was shown to be a function of aqueous Cu2+ concentration. Growth inhibition was greatest from aqueous CuCl2 and, for particles, increased with decreasing CuO particle size. The dissolution of CuO NPs in ½ Hoagland's solution was measured to increase with decreasing particle size and in the presence of Suwannee river humic and fulvic acids (HA; FA). However, the current results suggest that HA, and to a lesser extent, FA, decrease the toxicity of both CuO NPs and free ionized Cu to duckweed, likely by inhibiting Cu availability through Cu-DOM complex formation. Such results are consistent with changes to Cu speciation as predicted by speciation modeling software and suggest that DOM changes Cu speciation and therefore toxicity in natural systems.

Intraspecific competition among higher plants. III. : Growth of duckweed, with a theoretical consideration on the C-D effect.

Intraspecific competition among higher plants. III. : Growth of duckweed, with a theoretical consideration on the C-D effect.

Effects of duckweed (Spriodela polyrrhiza) remediation on the composition of dissolved organic matter in effluent of scale pig farms

The swine effluent studied was collected from scale pig farms, located in Yujiang County of Jiangxi Province, China, and duckweed (Spriodela polyrrhiza) was selected to dispose the effluent. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effects of duckweed growth on the dissolved organic matter composition in swine effluent. Throughout the experiment period, the concentrations of organic matter were determined regularly, and the excitation–emission matrix (3DEEM) spectroscopy was used to characterize the fluorescence component. Compared with no-duckweed treatments (controls), the specific ultra-violet absorbance at 254nm (SUVA254) was increased by a final average of 34.4% as the phytoremediation using duckweed, and the removal rate of DOC was increased by a final average of 28.0%. In swine effluent, four fluorescence components were identified, including two protein-like (tryptophan, tyrosine) and two humic-like (fulvic acids, humic acids) components. For all treatments, the concentrations of protein-like components decreased by a final average of 69.0%. As the growth of duckweed, the concentrations of humic-like components were increased by a final average of 123.5% than controls. Significant and positive correlations were observed between SUVA254 and humic-like components. Compared with the controls, the humification index (HIX) increased by a final average of 9.0% for duckweed treatments. Meanwhile, the duckweed growth leaded to a lower biological index (BIX) and a higher proportion of microbial-derived fulvic acids than controls. In conclusion, the duckweed remediation not only enhanced the removal rate of organic matter in swine effluent, but also increased the percent of humic substances.

Effects of selenium on biological and physiological properties of the duckweed Landoltia punctata.

Duckweed can be used for bioremediation of selenium (Se) polluted water because of its capability of absorbing minerals from growing media. However, the presence of Se in the media may affect the growth of the duckweed. Landoltia punctata 7449 has been studied for its changes in chemical and biological properties with the presence of Se in the media. The duckweed was cultivated over a 12-day period at different initial concentrations of selenite (Na2 SeO3 ) from 0 to 80μmol·l(-1) . The growth rate, the organic and total Se contents, the activity of antioxidant enzymes, the photosynthetic pigment contents, the chlorophyll a fluorescence OJIP transient, and the ultrastructure of the duckweed were monitored during the experiment. The results have shown that Se at low concentrations of ≤20μmol·l(-1) promoted the growth of the L.punctata and inhibited lipid peroxidation. Substantial increases in duckweed growth rate and organic Se content in the duckweed were observed at low Se concentrations. The anti-oxidative effect occurred likely with the increases in guaiacol peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities as well as the amount of photosynthetic pigments. However, negative impact to the duckweed was observed when the L.punctata was exposed to high Se concentrations (≥40μmol·l(-1) ), in which the duckweed growth was inhibited by the selenium. The results indicate that L.punctata 7449 can be used for bioremediation of selenium (Se) polluted water when the Se concentration is ≤20μmol·l(-1) .

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This paper establishes the growth of macrophytes Lemnas Minor sp. (commonly known as Duckweed), in the treatment of effluents of stabilization ponds that treat municipal wastewater; the parameters analyzed were biomass, number of fronds and removal of organic matter. Macrophytes used in the experiment were taken from jagueyes located on the outskirts of the town of Valledupar, Colombia. The assembly was carried out at laboratory scale and the system used was a type batch reactor (discontinuous flow). Which showed the following results: the relative growth rate of Lemna minor was approximately 0.1595 d-1. In this experiment it was established that the growth of duckweed is determined by the adaptation of these to the environment and was favored by the availability of nutrients. Therefore it can be concluded that the minor Lemnas are a good alternative for the treatment of effluents from oxidation ponds that treat domestic wastewater.

Modelling algae–duckweed interaction under chemical pressure within a laboratory microcosm

Contaminant effects on species are generally assessed with single-species bioassays. As a consequence, interactions between species that occur in ecosystems are not taken into account. To investigate the effects of contaminants on interacting species dynamics, our study describes the functioning of a 2-L laboratory microcosm with two species, the duckweed Lemna minor and the microalgae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, exposed to cadmium contamination. We modelled the dynamics of both species and their interactions using a mechanistic model based on coupled ordinary differential equations. The main processes occurring in this two-species microcosm were thus formalised, including growth and settling of algae, growth of duckweeds, interspecific competition between the two species and cadmium effects. We estimated model parameters by Bayesian inference, using simultaneously all the data issued from multiple laboratory experiments specifically conducted for this study. Cadmium concentrations ranged between 0 and 50μg·L−1. For all parameters of our model, we obtained biologically realistic values and reasonable uncertainties. Only duckweed dynamics was affected by interspecific competition, while algal dynamics was not impaired. Growth rate of both species decreased with cadmium concentration, as well as competition intensity showing that the interspecific competition pressure on duckweed decreased with cadmium concentration. This innovative combination of mechanistic modelling and model-guided experiments was successful to understand the algae–duckweed microcosm functioning without and with contaminant. This approach appears promising to include interactions between species when studying contaminant effects on ecosystem functioning.

Effects of dispersal on total biomass in a patchy, heterogeneous system: Analysis and experiment

An intriguing recent result from mathematics is that a population diffusing at an intermediate rate in an environment in which resources vary spatially will reach a higher total equilibrium biomass than the population in an environment in which the same total resources are distributed homogeneously. We extended the current mathematical theory to apply to logistic growth and also showed that the result applies to patchy systems with dispersal among patches, both for continuous and discrete time. This allowed us to make specific predictions, through simulations, concerning the biomass dynamics, which were verified by a laboratory experiment. The experiment was a study of biomass growth of duckweed (Lemna minor Linn.), where the resources (nutrients added to water) were distributed homogeneously among a discrete series of water-filled containers in one treatment, and distributed heterogeneously in another treatment. The experimental results showed that total biomass peaked at an intermediate, relatively low, diffusion rate, higher than the total carrying capacity of the system and agreeing with the simulation model. The implications of the experiment to dynamics of source, sink, and pseudo-sink dynamics are discussed.