Herbicide Effects on Duckweed Growth and Photosynthesis, 2017-2019

Laboratory experiments from 2017 to 2019 measured the effects of ten herbicides detected in Great Barrier Reef catchments on the lesser duckweed Lemna aequinoctialis. The dataset includes growth rates from frond number and surface area, and photosynthetic efficiency measured as effective quantum yield. The work was conducted under the NESP TWQ 3.1.5 project by AIMS and JCU.

Use Cases

• Modeling dose-response relationships for herbicides based on growth rate inhibition.
• Comparing toxicity of Photosystem II (PSII) and alternative herbicide modes of action on aquatic macrophytes.
• Calibrating risk assessment frameworks for regulatory purposes using laboratory bioassay data.

Strengths

• Experiments cover ten specific herbicides (e.g., diuron, hexazinone) with analytical-grade purity.
• Standardized 4-day exposure bioassays with controlled temperature and light cycles (26 ± 2°C, 12:12 h light:dark).
• Includes multiple response variables: frond number, surface area growth, and photosynthetic effective quantum yield.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, NESP TWQ 3.1.5, AIMS and JCU.

Collection Method

Laboratory bioassays with Lemna aequinoctialis exposed to herbicide concentrations for 96 hours; growth and chlorophyll fluorescence measured.

Time Range

2017-2019

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-14 08:54:57.987319; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Great Barrier Reef catchment area (Australia), though experiments were laboratory-based.