Prof Mia Eeckhout and Reindert Devlamynck present their research on sustainable feed formulation: with a focus on co-products and circular proteins as feed ingredients. www.ugent.be/bw BioingenieursUGent FbwUGent
Thank you for the information. We currently have two ponds on our property that get a fair amount of runoff from a neighbor’s pasture where cows are kept. We have a good amount of duckweed in them that I’m considering using for food for chickens (or fish grown in the ponds), as well as nitrogen rich material for compost or soil amendment. My biggest concern is if the duckweed might also pickup heavy metals or other contamination such as unwanted chemicals from herbicide sprays used on the pasture by our neighbors, since it may become part of our food chain. Do you think the duckweed will absorb those readily or does it seem to resist picking up contamination that we wouldn’t want? Thanks in advance for any reply.
It really depends on the heavy metal and nitrite levels in the water and it also depends on the duckweed species you are growing, but overall duckweed species are very good in capturing heavy metals in their roots. That combined with the capturing of nitrite which is quite present in cow manure makes it that without testing the water it is very difficult to know if it is safe or not. Also there isn't a lot of research on the retainment of pesticides in duckweed or not that I am aware of, so I have no idea how to help you there.
I Eat it every day myself and use only, top soil as a fertilizer, stir up 4" deep water indoors, use dirt, stir up and if possible keep water stirred up regularly and use, cheap, sponge filters, or anything else to airate, the water, it perfer still water, or a sponge filters, high in B vitamins, i eat, raw, all day.
