[Physiological and ecological characteristics of Azolla pinnata and its possible use in biological life support...

The principal physiological and ecological characteristics of Azolla pinnata were investigated in order to determine its potential use in biological life support systems. Plant requirements for biogenic elements were specified in order to develop balanced nutrient mixtures for continuous cultivation. Data on the growth and development, photosynthetic and nitrogen fixation rate, and biochemical composition of the plant were obtained for optimal cultivation conditions. The plant biomass contains large quantities of carotenoids and sulfur-containing amino acids, which are deficient in unicellular algae. This makes Azolla an attractive source of the above compounds for biological life support systems and other applications.