The potential of common duckweed (Lemna minor) as an alternative and sustainable feed source for a resilient livestock production system in the face of climate change

The project aims to improve the resilience and sustainability of livestock production to increase food security in a world challenged by climate change and political instability.

Ruminants, such as dairy cows, are a crucial part of food security by efficiently converting grass into valuable protein in milk and meat.

While the diet of dairy cows primarily consists of grass silage, it also includes cereals and protein feeds such as soybean and rapeseed. Climate change introduces extreme weather events that could disrupt crop harvests. Thus, this project aims to explore an alternative feed source. Duckweed, a common aquatic plant in Sweden, grows rapidly and tolerates varying water temperatures.

Its high protein content makes it a potential substitute for soybean and rapeseed.

Furthermore, its cultivation doesn´t rely on arable land and is less susceptible to extreme weather conditions.The project consists of three main components.

Initially, duckweed will be gathered from diverse environments and cultivated using wastewater from a dairy plant and manure from a dairy farm. A lab study will examine how various growth conditions impact protein quality and digestibility for ruminants. Subsequently, another lab trial will assess duckweed´s suitability as part of a standard diet for dairy cows.

Finally, two feeding trials with dairy cows will investigate how replacing soybean and rapeseed meal affects milk production, milk quality, animal health, and emissions of ammonia and methane.