Found in the Weeds: Bug Scientist Touts Cure for Levee Leaks

NEW ORLEANS -- Louisiana State University professor Gregg Henderson is a bug scientist, but lately he's been obsessed with grass.

In a city searching for ways to combat two great plagues -- termites and flooding -- Dr. Henderson believes an unremarkable-looking tall grass could be a new weapon to fight both. Vetiver grass's densely clumped stems quickly shoot up to 8 feet tall. It puts down a massive root system that has been touted for diverse uses, ranging from erosion protection for the hurricane-prone Gulf Coast to a treatment for baldness.

Dr. Henderson, an entomologist at LSU's AgCenter, is interested ...

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