Plants can see, hear, feel - and now sound off, too?

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cactusgettyimages1073661068.jpg
Spiny pincushion cactus
Image: Jose A. Bernat/Getty Images

For a long time, we had assumed that plants in general lack ability to sense what is going on in the environment, never mind feel distress. As we discover more and more about them, the research is proving these assumptions wrong.

Recently, Israeli scientist Itzhak Khait and his colleagues at the Tel Aviv University had discovered that tomato and tobacco plants emit ultrasound shrieks when stressed by lack of water or by having its stem cut. Pincushion cactus (pictured above) was independently discovered to do the same, too.

Prior to that, plants were discovered to be able to detect blue and red light and alter their shape to follow it. They can hear caterpillars munching on them and respond appropriately - for example, by producing repellent chemicals in their leaves. They do what all other creatures seem to do - do their best to detect reality around them and respond accordingly.

While we knew that plants were able to see, hear, smell, etc - now we know they can sound off, too. And their sounds can be heard at distances up to 10 cm (4 inches). This opens an opportunity for development of a whole branch of automation technology - for example, automatic watering equipment tied to censors detecting when a plant is short on water, or censors telling when a plant needs light for indoor growing operation. Artificial intelligence will likely come in quite handy for this technology.

There is also an interesting ethical, or philosophical, aspect to it. What is the meaning of these ultrasonic shrieks that stress induces in plants? Is there a practical aspect to it? Are those cries of pain? And if so, should we start putting plants in the same ethical category as animals and research and practice humane treatment of them? These are all fascinating questions, and they are also questions that we would not know to even ask were it not for the scientific progress.

Sources

Recordings reveal that plants make ultrasonic squeals when stressed
Adam Vaughan, New Scientist, 5 December 2019

Plants can see, hear and smell - and respond
Josh Gabbatiss, BBC, 10 January 2017



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