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This review focuses on recently characterized traits of the aquatic floating plant Lemna with an emphasis on its capacity to combine rapid growth with the accumulation of high levels of the essential human micronutrient zeaxanthin due to an unusual pigment composition not seen in other fast-growing plants. In addition, Lemna’s response to elevated CO2 was evaluated in the context of the source–sink balance between plant sugar production and consumption. These and other traits of Lemnaceae are compared with those of other floating aquatic plants as well as terrestrial plants adapted to different environments. It was concluded that the unique features of aquatic plants reflect adaptations to the freshwater environment, including rapid growth, high productivity, and exceptionally strong accumulation of high-quality vegetative storage protein and human antioxidant micronutrients. It was further concluded that the insensitivity of growth rate to environmental conditions and plant source–sink imbalance may allow duckweeds to take advantage of elevated atmospheric CO2 levels via particularly strong stimulation of biomass production and only minor declines in the growth of new tissue. It is proposed that declines in nutritional quality under elevated CO2 (due to regulatory adjustments in photosynthetic metabolism) may be mitigated by plant–microbe interaction, for which duckweeds have a high propensity.
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Lemna as a Sustainable, Highly Nutritious Crop: Nutrient Production in Different Light Environments
Development of a nutritious, sustainable food source is essential to address worldwide deficiencies in human micronutrients. Aquatic floating plants (e.g., species in the family Lemnaceae, duckweeds) are uniquely suited for area-efficient productivity with exceptionally high rates of growth and nutritional quality. Here, we provide an overview of the role of dietary micronutrients (with a focus on carotenoids) in human health and the promise of Lemnaceae as sustainable crops. We examine the effect of growth light environment on plant biomass production and levels of the carotenoids zeaxanthin, lutein, and pro-vitamin A (β-carotene), as well as the antioxidant vitamin E (α-tocopherol), and protein. Data on each of these nutrients are reported on a plant dry biomass basis (as relevant for nutrition) as well as relative to the required input of light energy (as relevant to resource-use efficiency).
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- Award ID(s):
- 1907338
- PAR ID:
- 10382321
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Nutraceuticals
- Volume:
- 2
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 1661-3821
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 350 to 364
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.3390/nutraceuticals2040027
