Tel Aviv University proves plants emit ultrasonic signals, insects respond

Certainly better than smelling up the neighborhood.  Smae drill though and nothing to do so far with cognition.

We now know to look for this data because this can impact farm decissions.

Our future holds robotic sensors able to discover plant distress and faiure.  So this insight is valuable.  Untill now we have depended on the human MKI eyeball to do this.  I have walked though a corn field collecting smut affected ears to eliminate the risk.  That is how this is done.

Tel Aviv University proves plants emit ultrasonic signals, insects respond

Lanson Burrows Jones Jr.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lanson-burrows-jones-jr-49161651_tel-aviv-university-has-just-delivered-the-activity-7368608446599843843-XE_x

Tel Aviv University has just delivered the first irrefutable experimental proof that plants talk and insects respond. Plants under stress emit ultrasonic signals. Insects change their behavior in response. Plants don’t just wilt silently — they send coded distress calls into the air. The evidence is irrefutable. For the first time, researchers Rya Seltzer and Guy Zer Eshel (under Yossi Yovel and Lilach Hadany) tuned into this hidden channel, revealing a language of survival always there, but never heard. The Plant’s Cry When tomato plants undergo dehydration, their vascular system experiences cavitation — tiny air bubbles collapsing inside the xylem, a kind of hydraulic failure. This collapse produces ultrasonic acoustic emissions (20–150 kHz), inaudible to humans but within the hearing range of moths, bats, and other animals. • Stressed plants emit dozens of clicks per hour, each a measurable fingerprint of distress. • These signals aren’t random. They encode information about stress intensity and type. 

The Moth’s Choice In controlled experiments: • Female moths were given two boxes — one silent, one playing recordings of stressed-plant clicks. They initially moved toward the noisy box. Sound meant life. • But when laying eggs, they avoided plants paired with distress signals, preferring the silent, healthy ones. • Crucially, when the moths’ tympanic organs were blocked, this preference disappeared. The sound itself was the deciding factor. The Implication Plants are not passive greenery. They are active acoustic participants in ecosystems, broadcasting their states in real time. Insects interpret these vibrations to decide where to feed and reproduce. This is evolutionary dialogue: plants warning “stay away,” insects adjusting in response. Agricultural Revolution Incoming This could transform farming: • Arrays of ultrasonic microphones detecting drought stress days before crops wilt. • AI translating plant soundscapes into data for farmers. • Ultrasonic playback deterring pests without pesticides. • Crop resilience engineered through sonic ecology. Beyond Agriculture If moths hear plants cry, what about pollinators? Predators? Entire ecosystems may be wired by an acoustic language just detected. Plants may even “hear” one another — a hidden symphony shaping the biosphere. Human Connection Imagine carrying a device to listen to gardens, forests, and fields. A world where we don’t just see green — we hear it breathe. What we thought was silence is actually messages. The earth is alive with signals, waiting for ears to hear. Paradigm Shift The air is alive with hidden conversations — clicks, pulses, whispers of survival. For the first time, science has tuned our ears to a truth that sounds ancient: “Even the stones will cry out.” Luke 19:40 Now we know: how will we respond?

Tel Aviv University researchers have uncovered the first evidence of acoustic interaction between plants and insects, demonstrating that female moths choose egg‑laying sites based on ultrasonic distress signals emitted by plants. When tomato plants are dehydrated, they emit ultrasonic clicks—inaudible to humans but noticeable to moths. In experiments, moths actively avoided plants emitting these stress signals and instead laid eggs on silent, healthy plants. The effect disappeared when their hearing was disabled. The study was conducted under the supervision of Professors Yossi Yovel and Lilach Hadany (Wise Faculty of Life Sciences), led by Rya Seltzer and Guy Zer Eshel, and published in eLife. This builds upon earlier findings from the same team that stressed plants emit ultrasound—opening a vast, unexplored field of acoustic communication in ecosystems.

A Tel Aviv University study, published in eLife, reveals the first evidence of acoustic interaction between plants and insects. When tomato plants are dehydrated, they emit ultrasonic distress signals (inaudible to humans but detectable by moths). Female moths use these sounds to avoid laying eggs on stressed plants, choosing silent, healthier ones instead. Blocking the moths’ hearing stopped this preference—confirming sound alone guided their behavior. This discovery opens new avenues for using sound-based methods in agriculture and pest control. https://www.reuters.com/science/israeli-research-finds-that-when-plants-talk-insects-listen-2025-07-15/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

A groundbreaking study from Tel Aviv University—published in eLife and covered by Phys.org—has provided the first direct evidence of acoustic communication between plants and insects. Dehydrated tomato plants emit ultrasonic distress “clicks” (beyond human hearing but perceptible to moths). Female moths use these signals to guide oviposition behavior: • In one experiment, moths chose a box playing plant distress noises over a silent one—interpreting the sound as a sign of life. • In another, given two healthy plants (one silent, one with playback of stressed-plant clicks), moths preferentially laid eggs on the silent plant—avoiding the stress signal. • Critical confirmation came when researchers disabled the moths’ hearing organs: without auditory perception, the moths displayed no preference, demonstrating that sound alone drove their choices. This marks a watershed moment in sensory ecology. Plants may now be recognized as active acoustic communicators, not passive organisms. The discovery hints at uncharted acoustic interactions in ecosystems—beyond traditional chemical signals.

Video :Stressed plants are speaking—and insects are listening. Groundbreaking research from Tel Aviv University shows that dehydrated tomato plants emit ultrasonic “clicks” (20–150 kHz) beyond human hearing—but audible to moths. Female moths used these distress signals to avoid laying eggs on stressed plants, preferring silent, healthier ones. When their hearing was blocked, that preference vanished—proving sound alone drove their choice https://youtu.be/BrL87LcZ9-4