Employees at an agricultural co-operative in Yanglu village, Taicang, introduced perennial ryegrass into the eco-system in a bid to combat water eutrophication.

Staff members from Yacheng Farm worked in tandem with the Suzhou Academy of Agricultural Science to plant tufts of ryegrass along 5,000 meters of field ditches.

Water eutrophication occurs when excess artificial or natural nutrients enter a water ecosystem. The added phosphates cause a "bloom" of phytoplankton and a depletion of oxygen levels in the water, leading to the deaths of plants and animals.

Ryegrass has the ability to absorb nitrogen and phosphine rich manures before they overflow into waterways.

According the monthly tests on water samples, ryegrasses are effective in purifying ditch water that covers 800,000 square meters of irrigation land.

Farm workers harvest the ryegrass every two to three weeks and use the leaves as fodder and organic fertilizer.

By Liu Sitong and edited by Jacob Hooson