Not much is known about the chemical composition of low-molecular weight secondary metabolites of Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Scheiden. We aimed to investigate the composition of low molecular weight volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of S. polyrhiza in the middle of the growing season by GC-MS. A GC-MS analysis of the essential oil of fresh S. polyrhiza was undertaken for the first time. It was found that in the middle of the growing season (in July) the essential oil of S. polyrhiza from a hypertrophic pond (Northwest Russia) contains 89 VOCs, 83 of which were identified. The major low-molecular weight metabolites of S. polyrhiza were manool (25.11%), biformen (12.83%) and phytol (8.05%), which are valuable in practical terms and can play a very important role in aquatic ecosystems. Further study of the composition of VOCs of S. polyrhiza growing in different water bodies and in different conditions (different hydrobiological environments) is necessary to understand the role of this species in hydrobiocenoses. The production of valuable VOCs from S. polyrhiza may be combined with other uses of this plant, e.g., biomass production, the treatment of wastewater with high nutrient concentrations (municipal, industrial and livestock farm wastewater). Large amounts of Lemnaceae biomass and VOCs can be the result of the purification of numerous water bodies that are exposed to duckweed bloom.

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