Tomatoes attacked by insects use electrical pulses to send an 'alarm signal' to the rest of the plant
Tomatoes that are about to be eaten by insects use electrical pulses to send an 'alarm signal' to the rest of the plant, similar to how our nervous system warns of physical damage.
The human nervous system uses special cells, neurons, to send electrical signals to different parts of the body. Plants do not have neurons, but they have long, thin tube systems (xylem and phloem) which, like our blood system, carry water and nutrients to all parts of the plant - from roots to leaves to fruit. Charged ions moving within these tubes can propagate electrical signals to different parts of the plant in a similar way to human neurons.
Previous studies have already shown that damaged leaves of one plant are able to send these signals to other leaves. A study recently conducted at the Federal University of Pelotas (Brazil) investigated whether such links are also present between the leaves and fruits of the same plant. To do this, the researchers studied cherry tomato plants (a fruit, botanically speaking) on which specimens of Helicoverpa armigera (a parasite commonly known as the tomato nocturnal) were placed.
Electrodes placed on the surface of the tomatoes have shown that the patterns of the electrical activity of the fruits change before and after the attack of the parasite, with different changes depending on whether the tomatoes are more unripe or more ripe. In practice, the plant 'senses' pest attack and responds accordingly, by increasing the levels of hydrogen peroxide produced by tomatoes that have not yet been affected by animals - probably a way to prevent the spread of pathogens from tomatoes. also attached in healthy tomatoes.
Credits: Frontiers
Fonte: Frontiers
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