Plants adapted to concrete applied to Three Gorges

Wuhan (CNS) -- The concrete hydro-fluctuation belt of the Three Gorges Reservoir will be covered by a blanket of greenery, thanks to the latest achievements of the Wuhan Botanical Garden (WBG) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Slope protection and oil fixation on the almost four kilometers of the water fluctuation belt has gained a reputation as a world class ecological puzzle, said Chief Gardener Liu Hongtao of the WBG when interviewed by the CNS on Tuesday.

Green plantation, a common solution to oil fixation problems, is complicated in this case by unaccommodating concrete, an obstacle that defeated previous technologies, Liu explained.

Bermuda grass, characterized by developed rhizome and high water-resistance, has proven to survive and grow on a special concrete layer.

The plant-concrete combination will help guard the environment of the national water project, and the practical solution may well be extended to urban greening, Liu added.