Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
to cells of tobacco plants growing in laboratory flasks. The specimens were growing
as aggregations of cells called callus rather than as complete plants.” The influence of
electric current on these cell cultures first became noticeable after about 10 days and
was dramatically obvious by 22 days. “The effect was dependent on the direction of
the current,” the scientists reported. “When the callus was made negative, the growth
rate was stimulated by about 70 percent, whereas current in the reverse direction was
Onepossibleexplanationastowhyplantswouldbehaveinthismannermaybesotheycan
While the number of interactions taking place underground is staggering, especially
considering all of the organic and inorganic chemical compounds, soil fungi, and bacterial
strains that could be involved with each other, perhaps the plant's ability to generate and
respond to electric fields is part of the underlying mechanics behind the formation of
beneficial plant communities. For instance, in plant communities or guilds there may be a
relationship between one set of plants creating electric fields in their roots that influence
surrounding plants in a way that helps draw in not only substances exuded from the
others' roots but may also help direct the movement of other plants' roots either towards
or away from them. In truth, there are tons of hidden layers in the inter-relationships
between all life, the planet Earth, and the Universe itself that we are so far away from
understandingatthistime.Thefactthatplantsrespondtoelectricfieldsmaybeyetanother
'sensor' by which plants respond to their surroundings and to their micro and macro-based
environments.
Electrophysiological Effects
There are three main ways that plants respond to and interact with electric fields:
• Cell membranes interactions
• Electrical signaling
• Electrochemical signaling
We'll start with covering the electrical effects first, and then later, go into the
electrochemical effects, even though there will be bleed-over between the methods.
The predominant way that plants know how to respond to any stimuli, including that of
external electromagnetic fields, is through the plants' internal communications network.
This 'network', which consists of both chemical and electrical signaling methods, controls
