Gaby
It turns out that plants exposed to music yield significantly larger harvests. A recent study by researchers at Tianjin Normal University offers fresh momentum for the emerging field of acoustic agriculture.
Experiments showed that plants exposed to music grew about 10 percent more leaves, absorbed nutrients more efficiently, used solar energy better, and produced more food, the Daily Mail reported.
How the experiment went
In a television interview in 1986, King Charles (who was still a prince at the time) admitted that he sometimes talks to his plants. He said they listen to him attentively and respond to his words. At the time, some people received this confession with skepticism, but now it doesn’t seem so strange.
Plants really do respond to sound — in particular, music can activate photosynthesis and boost growth.
During the study, the team periodically played the song ‘The Purple Butterfly’ by the Swiss band Bandari to a common pond weed — duckweed. Duckweed is used as a protein- and vitamin-rich feed for animals.
The plants were exposed to music five hours a day at 60–70 decibels (about the level of a normal conversation). After a week, researchers compared the music-exposed duckweed with another batch that remained in silence. The music had a significant effect on growth.
By day five, the music-exposed plants had nearly 10 percent more leaves than the “quiet” group. Their protein levels rose about 60 percent, and they used sunlight more efficiently to produce more biomass, the team reported in Plant Signaling and Behavior. The researchers found that sound vibrations from the music altered the activity of 1,296 genes, including genes tied to photosynthesis and hormonal regulation. “Our results showed that music improved the plants’ ability to utilize light energy,” they wrote.
The team says the results are striking enough to open the door to acoustic agriculture, but they still don’t know exactly why music affects plants. More studies are needed to understand the underlying mechanisms.
