Duckweed are aquatic floating plants belonging to the family Lemanaceae and consisting of five genera (Landoltia, Lemma, Spirodella, Wolffia, Wolffiella). They show several advantages over the terrestrial plants as:
- high growth rates
- high biomass yield
- high protein and micronutrient levels
- high adaptive ability
- capacity to grow in aquatic environment, letting free fertile and arable land for conventional food production
- high ability to grow on wastewater stream, resulting in recycling and reusing valuable nutrients
- low sensitivity to pests and other diseases
Cultivation of duckweed is carried out in open ponds consisting of oriented stand board wooden frame covered with propylene plastic sheet and aerated by a membrane air pump.
