Enhancing Plant Growth Through Acoustic Stimulation

Recent studies have explored the impact of sound on plant growth, enhancing our understanding of how acoustics might benefit agriculture. Research described in Biology Letters explored how monotone noise affects the soil fungus Trichoderma harzianum, commonly used in organic farming for its plant-protective qualities, growth stimulation, and soil health enhancement.

A team of researchers conducted experiments with noise exposure on fungi in controlled environments, revealing significant increases in fungal growth and spore production when stimulated with sound. They played a white noise track named "Tinnitus Flosser Masker at 8 kHz" to Petri dishes containing the fungi for 30 minutes daily at a lawnmower-level volume of 80 decibels. This process demonstrated how acoustic treatment can affect fungi, illustrating an increase in fungal activity which is potentially beneficial for plant growth.

Two possible mechanisms suggest how this sound might influence fungus: the piezoelectric effect, where sound is converted into electrical charges that could trigger fungal growth, and the stimulation of fungal mechanoreceptors that might react similarly to human skin, responding to pressure and vibration and potentially instigating growth-related biochemical processes.

Although findings suggest that acoustics can enhance fungal growth conducive to plant benefits, questions linger about its overall effect on ecosystems and agriculture. Future research will delve into acoustics’ potential to expedite soil restoration and improve agriculture. The intriguing idea suggests natural sounds could significantly impact plant-involved environments as the battle against environmental challenges, such as deforestation and biodiversity loss, continues.

Earlier, SSP wrote about gamma radiation in thunderstorms: new insights.