Plants change genes 30 minutes after human touch

by Daria Shevtsova

Studies showed that plants showed genetic defense responses even by slight contact with human beings, animals, insects and the like, and growth is severely inhibited when contact is repeated. Researchers say the plant will change genes within 30 minutes of contact.

Mitochondrial Function Modulates Touch Signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana - Xu - - The Plant Journal - Wiley Online Library
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/tpj.14183

Plants do not like touch: Green thumb myth dispelled - ScienceDaily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181217105853.htm

Plants can feel you touching them-and they do not like it - Quartz
https://qz.com/1499046/plants-can-feel-you-touching-them-and-they-dont-like-it/

Researchers have confirmed the phenomenon of " contact morphogenesis " that the growth of the whole plant is suppressed by daily stroking of the tip part of the plant. Also, how plants feel human contacts can be seen from reactions when touching Ogibisaw .

Mimosa Pudica - YouTube


Ogreghis is a rare example, and in many cases it is invisible how plants feel touching. However, in a new study, it has been reported that plant hormones and gene expression show a dramatic reaction with contact as a trigger. According to these reactions, the growth of plants is significantly inhibited.

Researchers at La Trobe University in Australia analyzed Arabidopsis thaliana with a soft paintbrush and subsequent biological reactions. Jim Whelan, who conducted the research, said, "Even contacts by humans, animals, insects, or even when plants touch each other by being shaken by the wind cause a large gene reaction," "Within 30 minutes of planting, 10% of the genes have changed. "

Even though a plant feels a threat, it can not escape like a human being. Therefore, the system of the plant version of the immune system referred to in humans are made very delicate, also decided to fight off the fungus from the plant by stimulating the immune system have been found .

by Daria Shevtsova

On the other hand, new research has shown that growth can be hindered because plants require a lot of resources to react to contact. By stroking plants multiple times, the growth rate will be reduced by 30%. Similar findings have been published in the past, that would change the expression of the gene of thousands in just stroking gently in 2016 is shown .

The fact that Whelan et al. Team revealed that "genes change by touching plants" are also seen as useful for the development of more resilient plants. If you know how to alter the defense responses of plants, there is a possibility that you can create more growing plants.