INTRODUCTION
Azolla (mosquito fern, duckweed fern, fairy moss, and water fern) is a genus of seven species of aquatic ferns in the family Salviniaceae. They are extremely reduced in form and specialized, looking nothing like conventional ferns but more resembling duckweed or some mosses. Azolla is a free floating aquatic fern, which nowadays can be found in freshwater environments in temperate and tropical regions all over the world. It ranks among the fastest growing plants on Earth and due to its association with the nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria Anabaena azollae, it is independent of extern organic nitrogen. In that way Azolla is not only known to fix huge amounts of carbon, but as well to produce vast amounts of organic nitrogen. The nutrient, which mainly limits the growth of Azolla, is phosphorous.
Azolla is rich in protein, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. It is the only plant used as biofertilizer in agriculture or as a green manure for wetland rice in Northern Vietnam, and Central and Southern China because of its high nitrogen content. In early 1980’s the use of Azolla in South Cotabato, Philippines was widely published. Azolla plants have been described by the Chinese and Vietnamese as being miniature nitrogen fertilizer factories.
Azolla is traditionally used throughout Asia and parts of Africa as feed for livestock, poultry and fish such as tilapia, red pacu, carps and other herbivorous and omnivorous species. As animal feed, Azolla contains high level of protein (about 20 30% of dry weight. Some literatures suggest higher protein level of 50 60%) and fat. At times Azolla is also used as human food. Azolla is important to reproduce for it contributes more useful benefits.
Conceptual Framework
REPRODUCTION RATE OF COLOR GREEN AND BROWN AZOLLA AS EXPOSED IN DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS
OUTPUT
1.) Reproduction rate of green and brown azolla under the sun and on a covered or dim environment
PROCESS
Exposition under the sun and on a