Unravelling the impact of light, temperature and nutrient dynamics on duckweed growth: A meta-analysis study

Nature-based solutions have been proven in recent decades as a reliable and cost-effective technology for the treatment of wastewaters. Different plant species have been studied for this purpose, but particular attention has been given to duckweeds, the smallest flowering plant in the world. Duckweed-based systems for simultaneous wastewater treatment and nutrient recovery have the potential to provide sustainable and cost-effective solutions to reduce water pollution and increase nutrient efficiency at catchment level. However, despite being considered a seemingly simple technology, the performance of wastewater treatment systems using duckweed depends on environmental and operational conditions not very well understood. For that reason, careful consideration must be given to such environmental factors controlling duckweed biomass growth but the evidence in published literature is scare and dispersed. This study employs a systematic review approach to conduct a meta-analysis of the effect of environmental conditions on duckweed growth by means of standardised IQ-scores. The results suggest that duckweed biomass growth rates reach a maximum within specific ranges for temperature (11.4–32.3 °C), daily light integral (DLI) (5–20 mol m−2), and nitrogen (>5 mg N L−1) and phosphorus (>1 mg P L−1) concentrations; DLI was found to be a better parameter to assess the overall effect of light (photoperiod and intensity) on duckweed growth and that the effect of nitrogen and phosphorus supply should consider the nitrogen species available for plant growth and its ratio to phosphorus concentrations (recommended N:P ratio = 15:1). By establishing the optimal range of culture conditions for duckweed, this study provides important insights for optimizing engineered wastewater treatment systems that rely on duckweed for nutrient control and recovery, which is primarily mediated by duckweed growth.