Consequences of water: tomatoes and melons grow in the Rhine

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Thursday, November 29, 2018

Due to the long-standing drought, the banks of the gravel appear in the Rhine. And it's the beginning of a new life: plants have recently blossomed there, like tomatoes. Another species – much more exotic – of plants defeats even the experts.

On the newly emerged gravel banks in the historic Rhine, many tomato plants and even watermelons have settled. "The seeds probably come from sewage treatment plants and kitchen waste, among other things," said Andreas Sundermeier of the Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) in Koblenz. "The tomatoes are partly ripe, and I have already harvested a few from the bas-Rhin," said Sundermeier.

The fact that watermelon, native to Africa, can be found on gravel banks is "a completely new development". These heat-loving fruits had grown in the middle of the Rhine, but they were not very big, said the doctor in geoecology.

Other hot and dry summers can promote their spread on gravel banks. In large rivers without dams, thrive on gravel banks in extreme low water and annual plants. According to Sundermeier, they usually only happen here. Examples are the Middle and Lower Rhine, the Middle Elbe and the Oder, as well as some parts of the Danube.

Banks could not impose on banks covered with grbad and weeds. As an example, the expert called the mudling and the red goosefoot. According to Sundermeier, one-year-old low-water plants produce seeds that can last for several consecutive years in the gravel with higher water levels and then germinate. "Some of these plants are germinating for decades," said the geoecologist.

Source: n-tv.de