Stressed plants are actually crying out for help
Scientists have discovered that plants emit high-frequency sounds when stressed. We love our houseplants. We talk to them; We try to give them the best possible light. We even play music for them. But we're not perfect, and sometimes despite our best efforts, our plant babies still wither and die. If you've ever wanted your plants to actually communicate and let you know what's wrong, you'll be interested to know that researchers recently discovered that infected plants can actually cry for help.
In the scientific journal Cell, scientists report that pressurized plants emit sounds in ultrasonic air, providing information about how they work. These sounds vary from clicks to pops (reminiscent of popcorn popping or bubble wrap being compressed). In addition, their research showed that the plants studied produced different sounds based on why they were stressed. For example, thirsty plants screamed differently than cut plants. These sounds can be detected at distances of 3 to 5 meters (about 9 to 16 feet) by mammals and insects with sufficient hearing (such as mice and moths).
"In this study, we resolved a very old scientific controversy: we proved that plants emit sounds!" Professor Lilach Hadani, who led the study, said in a YouTube video posted by Tel Aviv University. "Obviously, a beautiful field of flowers can be a noisy place. It's just that we can't hear the noises. Plants apparently lack vocal cords; The sound is suspected to be created by cavitation – a term used to describe how bubbles or voids in a liquid act and move. Cavitation is the reason you hear a popping sound when you break your knees.
What causes plants to cry?
What caused these cries for help? This has yet to be determined, but there is some definite interest in the plant community about how plants interact with each other and their environment. The findings could have profound implications for agriculture as well.
"Our findings suggest that the world around us is full of plant sounds," Hadani said. "Given the right tools, such as sensors that tell farmers when plants need watering, we believe humans can use this information as well."
In particular, the scientists hope that these studies will help more accurately measure agricultural water needs on a large scale. In the meantime, we'll take a few more plants and propagate them so that they'll all be each other's company.
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