Tomatoes and watermelons grow in the middle of the Rhine

What looks like an April joke is probably also a consequence of climate change. On the newly emerged gravel banks in the historic Rhine, many tomato plants and even watermelons have settled.

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"The seeds probably come from sewage treatment plants and ship food waste," said Andreas Sundermeier of the Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) in Koblenz, the agency's German press.

"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.

Too much competition on the shore

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. (DPA / MWO)