In Groundbreaking Research, Tel Aviv U Team Records Plants ‘Talking’ for First Time

It has been known for some time that plants communicate with one another, but Israeli scientists now say they’ve identified “words,” and have found that different species speak in different “languages,” according to a groundbreaking new study published Thursday, March 30, in a prestigious scientific journal.

Scientists already know that plants communicate in a variety of ways when they are stressed. They might change physically (by wilting or changing leaf color), become bitter to the taste (to deter herbivores), or emit smells (volatile organic compounds) to tell other members of the family that they are under attack, for example by insects.

But according to researchers from Tel Aviv University, the new study is the first time that airborne sounds from stressed plants have been recorded at a distance and classified.

The research team recorded ultrasonic sounds emitted by tomato and tobacco plants that had been deprived of water, suffered a cut to the stem, or been left alone (as a control group).

It turns out that plants “talk” in clicks, which sounds a bit like popcorn popping. The sounds are emitted at a volume similar to human speech, but at high frequencies (20 to 150 kHz), beyond the hearing range of humans. (TOI / VFI News)

“Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.” - Song of Songs 2:12