Duckweeds are the smallest and fastest-growing flowering plants and represent a promising source of high-value aquatic biomass. Here, we summarize recent progress from our group in duckweed research. More than 10 years studies in a 0.33-ha production system in Yunnan demonstrated that duckweed can generate abundant biomass under practical cultivation conditions, with annual biomass...
Now EFSA approval has been obtained for the introduction of Lemna minor and Lemna gibba as vegetable for human consumption we concentrated research activities on methods to obtain stable plant biomass production, adhering to the EC legislation. As we foresee an indoor (vertical) farming system as most successful and controllable, we tested artificial lighting strategies to reach lowest energy...
Non-conventional crops with high nutritional value and efficient resource use may improve food security while reducing environmental pressures. Duckweeds are fast-growing aquatic plants with high potential as alternative protein sources. However, their ability to assimilate several compounds may imposes food-safety concerns. Controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) could reduce microbiological...
Commercial duckweed cultivation may require regular monitoring of biomass quality, but chemical analyses can be laborious and costly. Optical signatures –that is selective light absorbance- of fronds would offer a promising alternative, yet reports on testing such proxies on duckweeds are still scarcely available. To address this knowledge gap, we tested light transmittance- and...
Duckweed is a promising plant-based protein and biomass resource, but efficient breeding and large-scale cultivation require rapid, high-throughput, and non-destructive evaluation of key traits. Conventional methods for determining crude protein and chlorophyll contents are labor-intensive, chemically demanding, and destructive, limiting their application in large-scale germplasm screening and...
The protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B; EC 3.1.3.48), encoded by the PTPN1 gene, dephosphorylates the activated insulin receptor and IRS-1, acting as a negative regulator of insulin and leptin. PTP1B knockout mice, which are more insulin sensitive and resistant to diet-induced obesity, genetically validate PTP1B as a dual target for type 2 diabetes and obesity. However, no inhibitor has...
