The study found that plants that are damaged or deprived of water produce "screams" that are too
The experiment showed that, on average, healthyPlants make less than one pop per hour, and stressed plants make between 11 and 35, depending on the species and the trigger. Tomato plants affected by drought were the noisiest, with some making more than 40 pops per hour. Scientists have also recorded the “screams” of a variety of other plants, such as wheat (Triticum aestivum), corn (Zea mays) and cactus (Mammillaria spinosissima).
Although humans cannot hear these ultrasoniccotton without technical assistance, various mammals, insects and even other plants perceive them in the wild and react to them, the researchers write. Scientists shared their findings back in 2019 in the bioRxiv preprint database, but this work has now been peer-reviewed.
Scientists suggest that in the future peoplewill be able to use recording devices and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor crops for signs of dehydration or disease.
Plants affected by drought are exposed tothe process of cavitation, when air bubbles are formed and destroyed in the vascular tissue of the plant. The result is a popping sound that can be detected using recording devices attached to the plant.
Although scientists have collected records of plant sounds,by placing the microphones about 10 cm away from the source, they assume they can be heard by mammals and insects with good hearing at a distance of 3 to 5 m.
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On the cover: photo of the experiment
Image courtesy of Ohad Levin-Epstein