So experimental tomato and tobacco bushes called for help dozens of times an hour, when scientists cut their stems, stopped watering and even infected them with a virus. At the same time, the fragrant plants were mostly silent and clicked very rarely.
For the purity of the experiment, the “open mic” was placed among other representatives of flora, including wheat, corn, Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and cacti. Like parents, they chatted a lot during the tests.
It is impossible to recognize the language of plants without special instruments. This is because the “click” is produced at high frequencies which are not subject to human hearing. However, according to one of the project leaders, Professor Hadani, animals like bats and rodents, as well as nearby insects and plants, can hear the sounds.
The team of scientists, in turn, developed technology capable of capturing clicks and “translating” them into human language, signaling the needs of the green interlocutor. By the way, anyone can rate the tomato monologue in the scientific journal Cell, where the results of the study were published with an adapted audio recording.
If new experiments succeed, technologies for translating the secret code of plants will be of great help to agriculture in the context of global warming. So, probably one day, when the orchid unleashes an angry tirade on you for improper care, you’ll hear it, and you’ll be ashamed.
