The crops talk to farmers… but do we listen?
Farmer brothers, do you know that your crops talk to you. When they have any problem, they cry, and when the crop is happy, they also express their happiness. So tell me, have you ever tried to talk to your crops? Or Have you tried listening to your crops?
Plants are not as peaceful as they appear to be. They talk to each other all the time in their own language. The crops talk to farmers as well. Not only this, they can also listen to our words. This is surprising but have you ever noticed whether the sound has an effect on the plants or not? We cannot say with certainty that they can speak or hear sounds because they have no organs for speech or hearing. But any kind of sound is made of waves and these waves can be felt by plants and animals.
How do plants make sounds?
Plants take stress too. They also make noise and cry when bitten. Plants withering due to lack of water, or strong sunlight emit ultrasonic sounds. But how does this sound emerge? Plants produce sound through their xylem. The xylem is the tissue that moves water from one place to another in plants.
In research on cactus, corn, tomato and tobacco plants, it has been found that plants usually get stressed due to dehydration or when their stem is broken or cut and in such situations they make a special sound. They also found that each type of stress was associated with a different type of sound. Like a wheat plant that has not been watered, it makes high sounds more often and louder than a grapevine that has been cut. In 1988, researchers found that waterless plants produce more sounds as their conditions deteriorate.
‘Chemical’ is the ‘talking weapon’ of plants
The thing to note is that without mouths and ears, how do plants hear and speak? So for this, they use chemicals. One study showed that plants release chemicals into the soil to communicate in crowded environments and encourage their neighbours to grow more aggressively so they don’t have to live in the shade. Plants cannot move if there is a problem with the neighbours. They have accepted this fact, and they use signals to avoid any competition and to prepare for the future.
According to recent research done in 2019, if bees and other pollinators are seen near a plant, nectar comes out of flowers. A study in plant cells found that plants communicate with electrical signals from their leaves. In the era of artificial intelligence, researchers are trying to identify the type of plant and its condition based on the volume, frequency and speed of its sound. His research and findings will help farmers to know when their plants need water or are infected.
According to a study, plants whose stems have been cut make 35 to 40 sounds in an hour. Similarly, when the plants feel thirsty, also the plants emit some sounds. But well watered properly and the plants have not been cut, such plants remain silent, and emit only one sound every hour.
Why can’t we hear the sounds of plants?
We cannot hear these voices from the plants. We can guess just by looking at the plants that if this plant is drying up and it needs water. According to an Israeli study, disturbed plants make ultrasonic noises, which are inaudible to humans. The reason behind not hearing the sound is that these sounds are ultrasonic, i.e. around 20-100 kHz. This means that they are so loud that humans can’t hear them. It is important for the farmers to know that when you take care of the plants, they are happy with you, talk to you, and express their happiness with you. Maybe even say thank you in their own language.
So, the crops talk but the stressed plants cry too. When plants are cut or watered and infected, they make sounds that can be a call for help. Researchers studied plants in the laboratory and found that, despite their silence, they produce sounds that cannot be heard by the human ear.
What sounds do plants make?
According to scientists, the sound from plants is the same as the sound of popcorn popping while cooking. Such a sound comes because an air bubble is formed in the stem of the plants and when it bursts, such a sound comes out. According to the researchers, a sound like the bursting of air bubbles comes from the plants. The researchers placed the plants in soundproof boxes in a quiet room and placed two ultrasonic microphones nearby.
They studied tomato, tobacco, cactus, maize, wheat and other plants under different conditions – some had stems cut, some had not been watered for days and others were untouched. The result was not only surprising but also very interesting. The microphone picked up sound at frequencies between 40 and 80 kHz—far above what the human ear can detect. The researchers found that these sounds resembled the popping of popcorn kernels.
Scientists in a study researched corn seeds, which grow extensively in stressed environments. Scientists tried to simulate the feeling of touch by stroking the leaves with a makeup brush for one minute every day. Due to this, a difference was felt in the behaviour of the plants.
How do animals hear the sounds of plants?
Amazingly, some animals can hear when the crops talk. For example, bats, mice and moths could potentially live in a world full of plant sounds which comes when crops talk. Not only this, research also suggests that these plants also react to the sounds made by animals.
Also Read: How Light Pollution affects Agriculture in India?
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