Yes Really – You're Probably Making Your Plants Cry By Stressing Them Out
Let all the plant killers among us know: you’re making your plants cry.
Yep, scientists have miraculously discovered that plants do actually make a noise when they’re stressed out.
Using a soundproof chamber and highly sensitive microphones, Israeli experts have managed to pick up a sound which resembles the popping of bubble-wrap coming from our vegetative friends.
Of course, humans can’t hear it normally, as the noise is ultrasonic and too high-pitched, so the scientists lowered the frequency until they managed to pick up the peculiar sound.
But, bizarrely, the volume is comparable to normal human conversation.
The experiment was conducted on both tomato, tobacco, wheat, corn and cactus plants, who were then exposed to stress.
One group was left dehydrated by not watering them, and another endured physical damage after the scientists cut the stems.
The group also recorded healthy plants compared to the damaged ones in both the soundproof chamber and normal greenhouse for comparison, and then ran their findings through an AI machine.
Unsurprisingly – and much like humans – no stress meant almost no noise. Once injured or dehydrated though, the noise levels really ramp up.
But without water, the plants start to make popping and clicking noises – between 30 and 50 per hour at apparently random intervals.
They also started making noises before there were clear signs of dehydration, getting to their loudest after five days without water.
Apparently, the sounds differed according to the type of plant and the stress it was facing, too.
The scientists still aren’t clear how the plants emit any sound though, but there is a theory that it’s through the formation and bursting air bubbles in the plant’s vascular system.
A groundbreaking TAU study found that #plants emit sounds, especially when in distress, at frequencies too high for us to hear. #AI was used to distinguish different plants' #stresscall. https://t.co/2KTmjawdTT@TauPlantSci@CellPressNews@of_sagolpic.twitter.com/PkGSRDhnob
— Tel Aviv University (@TelAvivUni) March 31, 2023
To make matters worse – insects, animals and other plants might be able to hear the noises. Perhaps they’re all gossiping about how terrible we are at regular watering? Or about that time we accidentally broke a whole leaf off?
As evolutionary biologist at Tel Aviv University, Lilach Hadany, explained: “Now that we know that plants do emit sounds, the next question is: ‘Who might be listening?’”
We already knew plants could produce ultrasonic vibrations, but this is significant because it is the first time we’ve found these noises can travel through air.
The study, published in the journal Cell, also said this could help farmers monitor the hydration of their crops (but maybe it could stop us from having so many droopy plants, too?)
