These signals can be used to identify the type of plant and the source of its stress
Israeli biologists representing Tel Aviv University came to the conclusion that plants are capable of making high-frequency sounds, similar in volume to human speech and extending to a distance of one meter. Probably, through these «shouts» plants even communicate with each other or with animals.
When translated into the range audible to the human ear, the sounds of plants resemble a series of pops. Biologists note that these pops are heard very rarely if nothing happens to the plant, but in a state of stress, it begins to emit them much more actively.
By sounds, trained computers could determine both the type of plant and the source of stress — tomatoes «talked» differently than tobacco, and the reaction to lack of water was different from the reaction to cutting the leaves.
In the future, it is supposed to find out how plants make sounds and whether ecosystem participants who can hear the data use this information signals.
It is assumed that the obtained data can be useful in agriculture if the plant can, in a sense, «tell» the farmer about its condition.
Scientific work was published in the journal Cell.