The sound of plants talking

London - He was mocked for talking to plants, but Prince Charles may have been on to something.

Scientists have discovered that not only do plants respond to sound but they communicate with each other in a constant chatter.

The Bristol University researchers used powerful loudspeakers to listen to corn saplings – and heard clicking sounds coming from their roots.

When they suspended the saplings’ roots in water and played a continuous noise at a similar frequency to the clicks, the plants grew towards it.

Plants are known to grow towards light, and a study earlier this year from Exeter University found cabbages emitted a volatile gas to warn others of danger such as caterpillars or garden shears.

But the researchers say this is the first solid evidence that plants have their own language of noises, inaudible to human ears. They suspect sound and vibration may play an important role in their life.

Daniel Robert, a biology professor at Bristol University, said: “These very noisy little clicks have the potential to constitute a channel of communication between the roots.”

The lead author of the study, Monica Gagliano from the University of Western Australia, said it made sense for plants to produce and respond to sound vibrations, as it gave them information about the environment around them.

Dr Gagliano said the research “opens up a new debate on the perception and action of people towards plants”, which should perhaps be treated as “living beings in their own right”.

The research also involved placing sweet fennel – which releases chemicals that hamper the growth of other plants – near chilli seeds. When the chemicals were allowed to reach the seeds, their growth was hampered as expected.

But when the chemicals were prevented from reaching them, they grew faster than expected.

The scientists believe they were still able to sense the presence of the fennel – probably by detecting a noise or vibration – and grew faster to protect themselves.

The study is published in the journal Trends in Plant Science.

Prince Charles told a TV interviewer in 1986: “I just come and talk to the plants. [It’s] really very important?.?.?. They respond, I find.” - Daily Mail

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