Hybrid grass 'could reduce flooding impact'

UK scientists have developed a hybrid farmland grass which could help reduce flooding, reports BBC. The fast growing forage grass, a hybrid of perennial ryegrass (Lollium perenne), has well developed root systems which retains more moisture in the soil instead of running into river systems.

"There is a lot of interest in how we manage agricultural landscapes to produce multiple benefits - particularly in relation to environmental stresses, such as changing precipitation and temperature patterns," said Kit Macleod, senior research scientist at the James Hutton Institute based in Aberdeen. He added though that the grass was not a "magic bullet" that could prevent flooding; it would only help reduce the volume of run-off from grazing meadows into flood-prone areas of river systems.