Denmark
December 17, 2019
Worried about airport security? See how grasses take care of you…
Fortunately, most of us need not consider exactly how many measures are put in place to secure our air traffic. Even if we did, most measures are so subtle, that their presence is virtually unnoticeable. The most beautiful ones are part of nature and take advantage of a long-lasting relationship between plants and fungi.
These fungi are called endophytes because they live inside plants (endo = inside) and in this particular case, we are talking about grasses. They have coexisted for thousands of years ensuring each other’s survival. While the grass feeds the endophyte with carbohydrates, and in return the endophyte produces chemicals that protect the grass against insect attacks. That sounds good, but how does that relate to flight security?
Birdstrikes challenge airport security
CPH airport operates more than 260,000 takeoffs and landings every year and the number of incidents have so far been negligible. However low the number of incidents are, there is a track record of more than 70 annual bird-strikes, which can potentially produce terrible accidents. A birdstrike is a well-known phenomenon at all airfields and the usual way to combat the problem is to scare away birds using firearms and advanced radar warning systems. But the systems are not bulletproof, so to say, and sometimes bird flocks ignore the man made security measures and settle on an airfield in search for food. The food supply is plentiful in the hundreds of acres of grass paddocks around the runways. Insects and mice thrive on the undisturbed grasses, attracting lots of hungry birds.
Endophyte-grass keeps birds away from the airport
Copenhagen Airport decided to increase their efforts and to replace their entire grass sward with a grass mixture that has been specifically designed for this purpose. The grass mixture holds a very high content of endophytes, which ensures an exceptionally high insect resistance. This means that the birds will seek other hunting ground, where food is abundant. The mixture also includes grass species, which produces stiff stems. Once cut, these stems stand as spikes, giving birds a hard landing, should they decide to trespass.
Copenhagen Aiport isn't the only airport taking advantage of the endophyte-grasses. The system is also being tested in other European airfields and in military bases. So, take a look out of the window next time you fly in. Your safety is in nature's hands..
Would you like to know more about endophyte grass? Contact our product manager or consultants.
FAQ:
Endophytes are a good example of cooperation in nature paying off. Endophytes are common in wild grasses, and DLF's plant breeders have worked with endophytes in grasses for many years. The ability of endophytes to protect grass from insect infestation is in demand. This applies, for example, in New Zealand, where insects are a major problem in grasslands and where the endophyte grasses ensure that the grass benefits the livestock and is not destroyed by insect larvae.
Dansk græs øger flysikkerheden for 30 millioner flyrejsende i Københavns Lufthavn
Bekymret for flysikkerhed? Læs her hvordan græs giver en hjælpende hånd
Det er heldigvis de færreste af os, der behøver at tænke på foranstaltninger til værn om flysikkerheden, og selv om vi gjorde det, ville mange af foranstaltningerne gå ubemærket hen. Nogle af de mest fascinerende sikkerhedsforanstaltninger beror på et symbiotisk forhold mellem planter og en særlig type svampe.
Disse svampe kaldes ’endofytter’, og de lever inden i en række plantearter, derunder græsser. Gennem årtusinder har planter og endofytter levet sammen og sikret hinandens overlevelse. I bytte for kulhydrater, der dannes ved fotosyntese, modtager græsset i dette forhold en type kemiske stoffer fra endofytten, der gør den resistent over for insektangreb. Alt sammen meget skønt, tænker du, men hvad har det med flysikkerhed at gøre?
Birdstrikes udfordrer flysikkerheden
Københavns lufthavn varetager årligt mere end 260.000 ind- og udflyvninger. Den høje aktivitet til trods, har antallet af ulykker hidtil været uanseelige. Men bag den gode statistik ligger der årligt omkring 50-70 såkaldte ’birdstrikes’ (påflyvning af fugle), der potentielt kunne gå galt. Birdstrikes er et velkendt fænomen i alle lufthavne, og de gængse metoder til at bekæmpe problemet inkluderer forskellige former for skræmmemidler i kombination med radar-baserede alarmeringssystemer. Men systemerne er ikke fuldstændigt skudsikre, og ind i mellem vælger en fugleflok at trodse gaskanonerne for at slå sig ned i jagten på insekter og mus, der trives rigtig godt i disse uforstyrrede og udstrakte græsarealer omkring landingsbanerne.
Endofytgræs holder fuglene væk fra lufthavnen
Dette problem gør man nu en ekstra indsats imod i Københavns Lufthavn. Her er man nemlig i gang med at udskifte græsarealerne med nye græsblandinger, der er skræddersyet til at forhindre birdstrikes. Disse græsblandinger indeholder en stor mængde naturlige endofytter, hvilket gør græsset uinteressant for insekter, og det betyder, at fuglene i stedet søger andre steder hen i jagten på føde. De nye blandinger indeholder også græsser med meget stive stængler. Når disse klippes efterlader de nærmest et fakirtæppe af spidse stubbe, hvilket gør fuglenes landing til en mindre behagelig oplevelse.
Københavns Lufthavn er ikke den eneste lufthavn, der er drager fordel af endofytgræsser. Systemet testes også i andre europæiske lufthavne; både civile og militære. Så tag et kig ned, næste gang kaptajnen kalder til landing. Der er taget godt hånd om din sikkerhed…af naturen selv.
Interesseret i at høre mere om endofytgræs? Så kontakt vores produktchef eller konsulenter.
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