The logistic growth of duckweed (Lemna minor) and kinetics of ammonium uptake.

Mathematical models have been developed to describe nitrogen uptake and duckweed growth experimentally to study the kinetics of ammonium uptake under various concentrations. The kinetics of duckweed ammonium uptake was investigated using the modified depletion method after plants were grown for two weeks at different ammonium concentrations (0.5-14 mg/L) in the culture medium. The maximum uptake rate and Michaelis-Menten constant for ammonium were estimated as 0.082 mg/(g fresh weight x h) and 1.877 mg/L, respectively. Duckweed growth was assessed when supplied at different total nitrogen (TN) concentrations (1-5 mg/L) in the culture medium. The results showed that the intrinsic growth rate was from 0.22 to 0.26 d(-1), and TN concentrations had no significant influence on the duckweed growth rate.