What Is the Importance of Grass?

Grass is one of the largest and most varied families in the plant kingdom.  Grass refers t o any plant of the family Gramineae, which includes cereals, reeds, and bamboos.  This plant is really important to mankind as well as to many other creatures in several ways. 

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Actually, there are six main types of grasses: grazing and forage grass, turf grass, ornamental grass, cereals, sugarcane and woody grass.  Overall, grasses firstly contribute to the enhancement of the environment.  Green stretches are largely preferred to bare land.  For example, ornamental grasses such as Chinese silver grass, pampas grass, uva grass have beautiful, plumelike flower clusters and so are often used to beautify flower gardens, parks and other landscaped areas.  Also, grass like the turfgrasses especially forms an attractive surface for lawns, playgrounds, even for athletic fields and golf courses.  Moreover, grass plays an important part in nature conservation.

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Indeed, grass covers the surface of the soil, its roots holding firmly the soil particles together so that the wind cannot easily blow them away nor water can wash them.  In this way, grass preserves the fertile top soil from erosion and avoids, at the same time, the desertification of lands – since its being a miniature tree – will store some water by the means of its roots.

Another important function of grass is to provide food both to humans and to animals.  Grass is in fact the principal source of food for grazing animals as the cattle, goats, horses and sheep.  For instance, orchard grass is grown for hay and pasture and being one of the first grasses to turn green in the spring, it offers early grazing.  On the other hand, cereals are just as essential for human beings because they make up one of the world’s most important food crops.  The cereal grasses include wheat, rice, corn oats and others.  Their seeds give grain that is ground into flour – which is the main base of any meal cooked in our homes.

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In addition, grass sports an important variety of insect life, for instance grasshoppers, some kinds of butterflies.  It shelters these small creatures, providing them with food as well.  Large stretches of grass often are the very sites of research for many biologists.

Furthermore, grass gives us plastics via sugarcane.  This grass supplies more than half of the world with sugar.  It also produces a fibre called bagasse as a by-product which is used in making wall board and fuel to heat homes along with plastics.

The next important use of grass falls in the construction sector.  Woody grasses like the bamboos which have strong, woodlike stems are used for building houses, rafts, bridges and furniture.  The stems can be used to make boards that are one foot or more wide even.  Bamboo stems can also serve as water pipe when the solid nodes have been removed.

Finally, it is seen that grass indeed has a great important in keeping the delicate balance of nature and plays a fundamental role in the lives of humans.

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