Classifying and naming crops

Let me first start by telling you the basic information and taxonomy of duckweed. 

Duckweed is part of the Plantae kingdom, which means that it is a multicellular plant that photosynthesizes. Its scientific name is Lemna minor
The plant is part of the class 'Angiosperms' and belongs to the order 'Alismatales'. This is an order of tropical and aquatic flowering plants. (Duckweed Geography, 2006)

Duckweed's family was unknown for a very long time however, recent research shows they belong to the family of the 'Araceae', which are monocotyledonous flowering plants. 

It is predicted that they are native to cooler regions of North America, Europe, and Western Asia. The plant can be categorized as a protein crop, an aquatic crop or an invasive crop. (de Jong, 2018)

Picture 1: Self-taken picture

There are five types of genus, composed of:

• Spirodela
• Landoltia
• Lemna
• Wolffiella
• Wolffia

All of these are fast-growing aquatic plants, that consist of free-floating thalli.

Some of the most common species are: 

• Lemna Minor
• Lemna Gibba
• Lemna minuta

I choose to focus on the production of duckweed in the Netherlands since the crop is becoming more and more popular each day in Western countries.

Over the last ten years, the Netherlands has been trying to grow duckweed in order to for example treat sewage and wastewater and reduce the high concentrations of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. (Markman de maker, 2017)

Another good use that can be given to duckweed is its conversion into fodder. The crop is high in fiber (up to 50%) and can be easily digested by animals. The crop is also a great replacement for soy and maize when it comes to poultry feed since it has a high protein content.
All of these factors led the Netherlands to focus on research and development of growth and consumption of duckweed. (Tavares Kennedy, 2018)  Consequently leading me to explore the production of the crop in the country and allowing me to explore the industry's development and ambition to produce the 'crop of the future'.

Picture 2: Self-taken picture in The Hague

References: 

de Jong, G. (2018). Duckweed, the Future of Feed and Water Treatment - BioWeb.ie. Retrieved September 20, 2019, from http://bioweb.ie/duckweed/

Duckweed Geography. (2006). Duckweed Geography. Retrieved September 20, 2019, from https://www.mobot.org/jwcross/duckweed/Habitat/geography.html

Markman de maker. (2017). Dutch study new opportunities for algae and duckweed cultivation. Retrieved September 20, 2019, from https://www.hortidaily.com/article/6032347/dutch-study-new-opportunities-for-algae-and-duckweed-cultivation/

Tavares Kennedy, H. (2018). Duckweed takes off in nutrition space as well as biofuel and bioenergy : Biofuels Digest. Retrieved September 20, 2019, from https://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2018/11/11/duckweed-takes-off-in-nutrition-space-as-well-as-biofuel-and-bioenergy/