Can sounds make plants grow bigger? A start-up says they can
If supported by further research, the work could expand scientists’ understanding of how plants perceive their environment and offer new ways to influence crop development. Plants can’t hear in the same way animals can, but mounting evidence suggests they can perceive and respond to vibrations in their environment. In one well-known study, researchers found that the sound of a caterpillar chewing on a leaf caused plants to produce anti-herbivore defence chemicals.
- ▪If supported by further research, the work could expand scientists’ understanding of how plants perceive their environment and offer new ways to influence crop development.
- ▪Plants can’t hear in the same way animals can, but mounting evidence suggests they can perceive and respond to vibrations in their environment.
- ▪In one well-known study, researchers found that the sound of a caterpillar chewing on a leaf caused plants to produce anti-herbivore defence chemicals.
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Life Can sounds make plants grow bigger? A start-up says they canHaivya has developed acoustic signals designed to influence plant development, and its trials reportedly show large yield increases in soybean, pepper and cannabis crops By Vanessa Bates Ramirez 23 July 2026 Facebook Threads X / Twitter WhatsApp LinkedIn Reddit Email Print Cannabis plants produced more biomass with acoustic stimulation, according to the firm Haivyahalbergman/Getty Images A precision agriculture start-up has created specially designed sound patterns to “program” plant growth, which it claims lead to larger harvests and altered traits without any genetic engineering or chemicals.
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