Native to the eastern U.S., Carolina azolla holds excellent potential for use as a fast-growing, short-season crop that requires minimal inputs, upkeep, and processing, according to Penn State researchers. The plant — sometimes referred to as mosquito fern, fairy moss, and water fern — could be used to increase the food supply. Credit: Penn State
Native to the eastern U.S., the plant, azolla caroliniana Willd — commonly known as Carolina azolla — also could ease food insecurity in the near future, according to findings recently published in. The researchers found that the Carolina strain of azolla is more digestible and nutritious for humans than azolla varieties that grow in the wild and also are cultivated in Asia and Africa for livestock feed.
This measurement compares with fruits, Winstead pointed out, which generally are between 1.4 and 6.2; beans at 1.2 to 6.6; and nuts, ranging from 0.5 to 19. By comparison, he added, other species of azolla that grow in Asia and Africa are between 20 and 69 grams, gallic acid equivalents per kilogram dry weight — too high for humans to digest comfortably.
Carolina azolla — sometimes referred to as mosquito fern, fairy moss, and water fern — holds excellent potential for use as a fast-growing, short-season crop that requires minimal inputs, upkeep, and processing, Winstead noted, adding that the plant could be used to increase the food supply. The researchers found that the Carolina strain of azolla is more digestible and nutritious for humans than azolla varieties that grow in the wild and also are cultivated in Asia and Africa for livestock feed. Credit: Penn State