Dirty Talk, with Richard Mckenzie: Locked in their Cells – the Potential of Plants Revealed
Posted date: 31 Aug 2010
It may surprise you to learn that in 2006, there were over 1,000 recorded species of plants known to have rapid responses to stimuli through electrical impulses . This is in essence a reaction to touch sensed through a primitive nervous system.
When plants react to touch or mechanical stimuli, it is described as a Thigmotropism. The Oxford Dictionary defines a ‘tropism’ in a living organism as the ‘turning in a particular direction in response to some specific external stimulus”, and this is something being studied ever more closely as a way of understanding those factors that dictate the way a plant grows.
Light (phototropism) and gravity (gravitropism) are the two most influential, with hydrotropism another clearly important factor of what may determine the way a plant develops in any given scenario.
The influence of touch and even colour on plants has also been studied. Since 1973 it’s been known that stroking a plant for only a few seconds a day can lead to the stem thickening, creating a stockier plant that may be more robust or better able to withstand windy environments.
This phenomenon was more recently tested in an experiment where trays of seedlings, grown in controlled, greenhouse conditions were lightly brushed over with a sheet of paper on a regular basis. Amazingly, the seeds that were subject to this ‘affection’ had a better rate of survival following transplanting than seeds not exposed to any mechanical stimulation. The mature plants evolved to look more as if they were grown outdoors, with shorter, thicker trunks and stems.
What triggers and regulates these responses is not fully understood, but the involvement of various plant hormones is well known.Since environmental factors act as such strong “triggers” to plant development it is not surprising that such a strong focus on controlling the environment is applied to intensive horticulture.
To discuss how the management of light, water, air and other stimuli could have a bearing on your business, call me, Richard McKenzie at ASSETS on 1300 130 123.