By contrast, stressed plants are much noisier, emitting an average up to around 40 clicks per hour depending on the species. And plants deprived of water have a noticeable sound profile. They start clicking more before they show visible signs of dehydrating, escalating as the plant grows more parched, before subsiding as the plant withers away.

someone smarter than me should get to inventing a device that listens to plant clicks and tells you when it needs water

[–] [email protected] 75 points 6 days ago (5 children)

Might be a good use-case to have your home irrigation system be triggered by plant clicks instead of a schedule.

[–] elbarto777 39 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

It could be. Although we don't know how much those sounds indicate distress, and perhaps watering should happen much sooner.

Imagine if aliens abduct you and give you food only when your stomach makes the kind of noise it makes after three days without eating anything, because "that's all they can detect."

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Well hence they will work out when the plant (or human in your example) is really starving.

[–] elbarto777 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

We've already established that. But that method will shorten the life of the plant (and human.)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I dunno, calorie restrictions has tended to lengthen lifespan in other organisms we've tried it on.

[–] elbarto777 1 points 4 days ago

Sure, but not to the point in which it's a constant stress.

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