It grows 20 times faster than corn, doubling in size within a few days through a natural cloning method. It can tangle the lines of recreational fishermen casting near duckweed along still, freshwater areas where the plants thrive. Duckweed can be used to cleanse wastewater, reducing nitrogen and phosphorous in human waste.
Duckweed produces more protein on average than soybeans.
It can also be used to feed exotic fish being raised for aquaculture. Water pollution is essentially a biological problem. Chemical measurements are like taking snapshots of the ecosystem, whereas biological measurements are like making a videotape. There is considerable evidence to suggest that some of these manufactured chemicals may imitate the natural hormones and, under certain conditions, disrupt normal endocrine functioning in a number of species. Their research, particularly in the Great Lakes, has been vital in bringing international attention to the issue.