Now Available! EDN 172 2025-12-16
In this issue
- Aquatic Plant Production: Azolla and Duckweed for Livestock Feed
- Salt-impregnated Biochar as a Desiccant
- Echoes from Our Network: Sunflower, Sustainable Economic Recommendations for East Africa
- From ECHO's Seed Bank: Malabar Spinach, A Tropical Green Leafy Vegetable
- Books, Websites, and Other Resources: ANAFAE resources
Aquatic Plant Production
Azolla and Duckweed for Livestock Feed
Shaun Snoxell and Nitin Rex Sancho
Excerpt:
At ECHO Asia, we feed both duckweed and azolla to chickens. We scoop plants out of the water using a plastic basket, and feed fresh plants directly to the chickens. We do not dry the plants before feeding. Chickens tend to find the azolla more palatable than the duckweed. However, in our context, duckweed tends to grow faster than azolla. Harvest and feeding takes just a few minutes. ECHO Asia measured the increase in weight of duckweed and azolla per week under conventional management in November 2025. For each gram of duckweed added to a container, 4.5 grams were harvested after 7 days (doubling time in 3.23 days). For every gram of azolla added, 3 grams were harvested after 7 days (doubling time in 4.42 days). However, once the surface of the water is covered, or fertilization is delayed, the growth rate declined rapidly.