A study has confirmed that plants release powerful ultrasonic ‘screams’ when their stems get damaged, cut, or are otherwise negatively affected.
While many have long believed that plants, too, can feel pain, a study led by researchers at Tel Aviv University has confirmed that vegetations discharge a high-frequency sound upon experiencing distress.
According to Live Science, scientists ran a number of tests on tobacco and tomato plants whereas they ‘hurt’ them by depriving them of water and making cuts into their stems.
In response to both conditions, all plants released a series of ultrasonic sounds ranging from 20 to 100 kilohertz. In one particular case, a tomato plant emitted 25 distress sounds in just one hour after being cut.
As the researchers went on to suggest, other organisms in proximity might even be able to intercept these ‘screams.’
While tomato plants released more distress sounds than tobacco plants, the researchers also concluded that plants that were in no immediate danger released much fewer sounds than those that were hurting.
“These findings can alter the way we think about the plant kingdom, which has been considered to be almost silent until now,” the scientists wrote in a non-peer-reviewed paper.
As the team hopes, farmers and agricultural experts could profit from these findings after efficient techniques of listening to plants in order to know when they are sick or when they need to be watered are discovered.
In 2018, another study confirmed that certain types of plants were able to experience ‘pain’ upon being touched or having their leaves pull out.
What are your thoughts on these findings? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to SHARE this post with your family and friends and follow us on Facebook for more news and stories!
Replaced!