Anti-flood grass was born

With the advent of a new grass, the impact of future floods will be drastically reduced.

Scientists from the British Biotechnology Research Council and a number of other research institutions have hybridized long-tail buffalo tailed grass and turf grass to create new grass species, Guardian reported. Its roots produce more holes in the soil than regular grasses. The larger the number of holes in the soil, the more water will be attracted to the flood water.

About the clay that researchers planted
Testing new grass species in Devon, England. (Photo: BBC)

Because the roots of the new grass grow quite quickly, they will keep rainwater in the soil rather than letting water flow into the river - one of the causes of flooding.

A two-year trial showed that the new grass caused the flood effect to drop by 51% compared to the perennials of perennials - the grass that farmers grow for food for cattle.

"The money we save from reducing flood damage will be many times larger than the cost of breeding and growing grass," said Professor Douglas Kell, executive director of the Public Research Council. Biology in the UK, said.

To create new grass species, the team tried to breed hundreds of grass species together. They argue that it will become an effective anti-flood weapon in the context of floods occurring more frequently due to global warming.

Currently 69% of the world's agricultural land is grassland. If the new grass appears on the grasslands, it will both feed the animals and reduce the destructive effect of the flood.