Who discovered Azolla?

The use of azolla in rice production use dates back at least a thousand years in Vietnam. Some legends say that its cultivation was introduced by the Buddhist Monk Khong Mirh Khong in the eleventh century (Doa & Tran, 1979; Moore, 1969).

Can humans eat Azolla?

Azolla has been suggested as a foodstuff for human consumption, however, no long-term studies of the safety of eating Azolla have been made on humans. Previous studies attributed neurotoxin production to Anabaena flos-aquae species, which is also a type of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria.

Why Azolla is called mosquito fern?

Their name is an allusion to the fact that the plants sometimes thoroughly cover the surface of a pond or other body of water, preventing mosquitoes and other insects from penetrating through to the water to lay eggs.

What is Azolla plant used for?

In southeast Asia, Azolla was grown in rice paddies as a means of fertilizing the crops. Sometimes called “green manure,” it has been estimated that the use of Azolla more than doubles rice production.

Where did Azolla originate?

Azolla pinnata is a species of fern known by several common names, including mosquitofern, feathered mosquitofern and water velvet. It is native to much of Africa, Asia (Brunei Darussalam, China, India, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines) and parts of Australia.

Is Azolla a biofertilizer?

Azolla-Anabaena as a Biofertilizer for Rice Paddy Fields in the Po Valley, a Temperate Rice Area in Northern Italy.

Why does Azolla turn red?

Azolla is initially green, like duckweed, but soon turns a red or brown color. This coloration is caused by Azolla’s association with a nitrogen-fixing cyanobactrium-Anabeana azollae. In this symbiotic relationship, the bacterium gets a safe home while Azolla is provided nitrogen.

Is Azolla a bacteria?

… live colonies of a cyanobacterium, Anabaena azollae. These photosynthetic bacteria have the ability to transform atmospheric nitrogen into nitrate fertilizer. When individual plants of Azolla die, this nitrate fertilizer is released into the environment, where it becomes available to other plants.

Do fish eat Azolla?

Azolla pinnata as a fresh feed, in combination with a food level of natural feeding, can be beneficial to fish production [18]. Therefore, it could be an excellent inexpensive feed for B. gonionotus. Dried and processed Azolla have been tested as feed ingredient in a number of fish species (e.g., tilapia, carp, etc.)

Is Azolla a good fertilizer?

Nitrogen is one of the most essential elements needed by plants for their growth and azolla’s high nitrogen content makes it an ideal biofertilizer.

Is Azolla good for cow?

Azolla was found to be a very nutritive and cheap organic feed substitute for dairy cattle. Azolla is rich in protein, almost 20-25% CP on dry weight basis. It is also found to contain essential minerals like Iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, manganese etc.

Is Azolla good for fish?

The high level of crude protein of Azolla and higher lysine concentration indicated that Azolla plants may be a good source of fish feed. A significantly higher content of dehydro-ascorbic acid (1,909 mg kg-1 dry weight) than that of L-ascorbic acid (10 mg kg-1 dry weight) in Azolla grown for 3 d was observed.