Title: Comparison of Lemna gibba and Lemna minor from the production ecological viewpoint
Abstract: The production capacity and competitive ability in two duckweed species (Lemna gibba L. and L. minor L.), both originating from South Bohemian fishponds, are compared. The results of both laboratory and field experiments have proved that the relative growth rate (RGR) of Lemna gibba exceeds that of L. minor. In the laboratory (with temperatures of 17, 23, 29 and 35°C), the mean RGR was 0.24 and 0.26 g g−1 day −1 in Lemna minor and L. gibba, respectively. In field experiments (with temperatures varying from 13.5 to 22.0 °C), the corresponding RGR values were 0.20 and 0.22 g g−1 day −1. The biomass recorded under field conditions, was also generally higher in Lemna gibba (seasonal maximum biomass upto 150 g/m2 of dry weight) than in L. minor (only 50 g/m2). The experiments on competition between the two species were carried out in outdoor hydroponics. Lemna gibba, in gibbous form, was always the stronger competitor, being able to overgrow and shade out Lemna minor. In Czechoslovakia, Lemna gibba occurs mainly in nutrient-rich fishponds, lowland oxbows and ditches; L. minor, presumably unable to compete with L. gibba in these habitats, is restricted to nutrient-poor and relatively cold waters.
Publication Year: 1975
Publication Date: 1975-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 35
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