Reed Sweet Grass Glyceria maxima: Role in Shoreline Protection

摘要

Our article presents the results of studies on the mechanical properties of Reed Sweet Grass Glyceria maxima. The samples were collected from Urszulewskie Lake near Sierpc, Poland. The experiment was conducted using an Instron 5966 universal tensile strength testing machine. Tensile force and tensile strength were determined and compared for individual parts of reed sweet grass, i.e., below-ground sterns (rhizomes), the bases of stems, and above-ground stems. Dependencies between the selected mechanical and morphological parameters were described. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Statistica program. The obtained tensile strength results were compared to data obtained by other authors on select tree, shrub and plants species. Lastly, the benefits of using plants characteristic of bulrush over artificial concrete reinforcements were presented.