Touchy-feely plants
Forget talking to plants to help them grow – new research proves
touching them with your fingers can make them less susceptible to disease.
A paper in the open access journal BMC Plant Biology reveals that gently
rubbing the leaves of thale cress plants between thumb and forefinger activates
an innate defence mechanism. Study leader Floriane L’Haridon reports that,
within minutes, biochemical changes occur, causing the plant to become more
resistant to Botrytiscinerea, the fungus that causes grey mould.
Evolutionary skill
Rubbing the leaves also triggered a host of internal changes: genes
related to mechanical stress were activated, levels of reactive oxygen species
increased, and the protective outer layer of the leaf became more permeable,
presumably to aid the escape of biologically active molecules that contribute
to the immune response.
Similar effects occur when plants are physically wounded. Team members
previously showed how tearing cress also triggers a strong transient immunity
to grey mould fungus. “Wounding and rubbing exemplify how plants can react to a
situation that in principle could cause them to become more vulnerable. Instead,
they deploy a carefully-orchestrated defence response, an evolutionary skill
that that boosts survival,” says L’Haridon.
Source : Nature and Health
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