Lemna minor cultivation in the climatic conditions of Saint Petersburg

Abstract

Cultivation of duckweed Lemna minor in conditions of St. Petersburg was carried out. Two cultivation variants were studied: 1- in a natural reservoir of Petergof; 2 - in an artificial reservoir at the yard of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (Russia) during a period from May to July 2017. The following cultivation conditions were determined: lighting, temperature. The population growth intensity was estimated by increase of plant cover area of the pond. The most favourable conditions appeared to be at natural pond in Petergof. Daylight features, lightning intensity of the Leningrad Region are less favourable than that for south Russian regions, so biomass production rate is drastically lower. However, the climatic characteristics (moderate climate, transient from continental to marine) allows increasing L. minor cultivation period: from May to November inclusive. We carried out atomic-physiological investigation of fronds in summer and autumn, as well as epidermis and chlorenchyma cell analysis, which allow one to characterize photosynthesys system of the plants.