The study investigated sugar loading mechanisms in the giant duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza and found that it lacks typical sucrose transporter genes and does not use active apoplastic or symplastic loading, instead employing passive symplastic phloem loading characterized by uniform plasmodesmata density. Hormone‑induced reduction of plasmodesmata permeability lowered sucrose levels in phloem exudate, pinpointing plasmodesmata regulation as a key factor in carbon export for this monocot species.