Research results show that tomatoes 'send electrical warnings when fruits are eaten by insects'
Regarding the property of 'showing a biological reaction when exposed to stress' that has been confirmed in plants so far, a new phenomenon of 'sending electrical stimulation when fruits are about to be eaten by insects' has been confirmed in tomatoes. I did. 'Fruits may also be able to share important information with other parts of the plant,' the research team explains.
Frontiers | Fruit Herbivory Alters Plant Electrome: Evidence for Fruit-Shoot Long-Distance Electrical Signaling in Tomato Plants | Sustainable Food Systems
Tomato fruits send electrical warnings to the rest of the plant when attacked by insects – Science & research news | Frontiers
https://blog.frontiersin.org/2021/07/20/tomato-fruits-send-electrical-warnings-to-the-rest-of-the-plant-when-attacked-by-insects/
Plants tend to seem unresponsive to whatever happens around them, but recent studies have shown that stress can cause a variety of reactions, such as 'ultrasonic screams.'
Studies show that stressed plants are making 'ultrasonic screams'-GIGAZINE
One of the most common reactions is an 'electric signal'. Instead of nerves, plants utilize water pathways such as vessels to transmit electrical signals throughout the body. In the oilseed rape experiment, which made it possible to visualize electrical signals by genetic engineering, it can be seen that electrical signals are transmitted throughout the body when eaten by insects.
Caterpillar bites trigger plant defenses --YouTube
Regarding the reaction of plants to the above stress, Niemeyer Reissig et al. Of Pelotas National University in Brazil newly announced the research result that 'tomatoes generate electrical signals even when the fruits are eaten'. According to Reissig et al., In the case of plants with fruits, nutrients mainly flow from the main body to the fruit side, but almost never flow from the fruit side to the main body, so 'electric signals flow from the fruit side to the main body side' like this time. There was almost no research on the idea of 'flowing to.'
Reissig et al. Connect the electrodes to the stem that connects the fruit of the tomato seedlings in the Faraday cage and the body. We attached Helicoverpa armigera, which is a common pest that devours various fruits such as tomatoes, to the fruits and observed them continuously for 24 hours.
As a result of the experiment, not only was there a clear difference in the electrical signal before and after the attack of Helicoverpa armigera, but also a protective reaction such as hydrogen peroxide production was confirmed even in the part farthest from the fruit part.
From the results of this experiment, Reissig said, 'Fruits also share important information such as the attack of hornworms, which is a serious problem for plants, with other parts, and this information sharing promotes a systemic defense reaction. There is a possibility. '
Reissig et al. Emphasized that the results of this research are only early ones and focus on 'capturing the whole picture of electrical signals' rather than identifying individual electrical signals. I am.
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