REPORT | Duckweed A potential high protein feed source for domestic animals and fish A report for the

Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation

by Bio-Tech Waste Management Pty Ltd

Duckweeds have received research attention because of their great potential to remove mineral
contaminants from waste waters emanating from sewage works, intensive animal industries or from
intensive irrigated crop production. Duckweeds need to be managed, protected from wind, maintained at
an optimum density by judicious and regular harvesting and fertilised to balance nutrient concentrations
in water to obtain optimal growth rates. When effectively managed in this way duckweeds yield 10-30 ton
DM/ha/year containing up to 43% crude protein, 5% lipids and a highly digestible dry matter.

Duckweeds have been fed to animals and fish to complement diets, largely to provide a protein of
high biological value. Fish production can be stimulated by feeding duckweed to the extent that yields can
be increased from a few hundred kilograms per hectare/year to 10 tonnes/ha/year.

Mature poultry can utilise duckweed as a substitute for vegetable protein in cereal grain based
diets whereas very young chickens suffered a small weight gain reduction by such substitution. Pigs can
use duckweed as a protein/energy source with slightly less efficiency than soyabean meal.

Little work has been done on duckweed meals as supplements to forages given to ruminants, but
there appears to be considerable scope for its use as a mineral (particularly P) and N source. The protein
of duckweeds requires treatment to protect it from microbial degradation in the rumen in order to provide
protein directly to the animal.

The combination of crop residues and fresh duckweeds in a diet for ruminants appears to provide
a balance of nutrients capable of optimising rumen microbial fermentative capacity. These diets can,
therefore, be potentially exploited in cattle, sheep and goat production systems particularly by small
farmers in tropical developing countries.

Duckweed species are small floating aquatic plants often seen growing in thick, blanket-like mats
on still or slow moving, nutrient-rich fresh or brackish waters. Duckweeds are monocotyledons of the
botanical family Lemnaceae and are higher plants or macrophytes. In some weak areas in the Philippines,
often mistaken for algae, it contains higher amount of protein than soybeans. It is sometimes utilized as a
significant food source. The plants are used as shelter by pond water species such as bullfrogs and fish
such as bluegills. Duckweeds also provide shade and can reduce certain light-generated growths of
photoautotrophic algae.

Duckweed that grew in water contains protein of 35 to 45% on dry matter basis with high
availability of essential amino acids (Khanum et al., 2005). Duckweed grows well in the water with low
N content, (Goopy & Murray, 2003). It has rapid vegetative reproduction, easily adapt to unfavorable
environmental conditions, and it has detoxication ability (Czerpak & Szamrej, 2003). Lysine content of
duckweed as an animal feed also met the standard recommended by FAO and it is generally higher than
that found in grain (Cheng & Stomp, 2009). Feeding duckweed has been studied in breeding ducks (Men
et al., 2001a), growing ducks (Men et al., 2001b), and in laying ducks (Khandaker et al., 2007).

Duckweeds are fed to animals and fish to complement diets, particularly in providing protein of
high biological value. Poultry animals can utilize the duckweeds as substitute for vegetable protein in
cereal grain-based diets. Little work has been done on duckweed meals as supplements to forages given to
ruminants, but there appears to be considerable scope for its use as a mineral (particularly P) and N
source. The proteins of duckweeds require treatment to protect it from microbial degradation in the rumen
to become available directly to the animal.
 Ducks are considered one of the most versatile avian species that are of commercial significance,
because they can subsist under a wide range of climatic and nutritional conditions. Some of the
advantages of raising ducks are being inexpensive, non-elaborate housing facilities and require only
minimum supervision per head for rearing. Additionally, ducks are shown to be relatively hardy and
resistant to common avian diseases. As such, they are preferred and commonly raised by backyard
farmers in rural areas. In the Philippines, for more than two decades since the 80s, livestock and poultry
contributions to agriculture and per capita utilization have been steadily increasing. The duck industry, for
one, has been a great contributor. In fact, volume of production of duck meat and eggs in 2001 was up
again by 3.94 percent and 0.84 percent, respectively, from 2000 figures. Their values of production also
went up as the year unfolded.

The disadvantage of using commercial feeds is that they are very expensive. Commercial feeds
are widely available in the Philippine markets. Commercial feed quality varies from different brands,
therefore, making it harder for Filipino farmers to decide which is better in terms of cost and quality. In
most cases the feed additives are combined with commercial feeds to produce cost-effective dietary
supplement.

Due to unstable economic crisis, Filipino farmers are experiencing financial problems that makes
it difficult for them to afford feeds for duck raising. Some feeds have very small shelf-life that can be
contaminated by spores, fungus, and molds. Feed additives reduce the cost of feeds, some farmers tried
adding rice bran, cornstarch, and soybeans but it could sacrifice the quality of feeds as these has different
nutritional composition.

Duckweed is an important high-protein food and it contains more protein than soybeans, it is
sometimes cited as a significant potential food source. Duckweed commonly refers to a group of floating,
flowering plants of the family Lemnaceae. Duckweed plants are fast-growing, reproducible and widely
distributed that’s why it is easy to culture and to test, in this case using duckweed as an additive to be
combined with cheaper commercial feed. This can help the people to understand the value of duckweed to
the environment and it will contribute to the poultry farmers and to the poor who wants to raise ducks in
their backyard.

In many aspects fresh duckweed was utilized to maintain its nutrient. Commercial feeds were
mixed with duckweed to generate a more sufficient mixture. This study was conducted to evaluate thee
suitability of duckweeds as dietary feed supplement for growing ducks. Specifically, it aimed to
determine the growth and survival of growing ducks using duckweed as supplemental feed.