Skip to main content
International

White noise seen to boost growth in fungi; could it nurture other plants?

Share

What if turning up the volume could help your garden grow? Mozart isn’t what’s being talked about this time, although music and plant growth has been debated too.

Media Landscape

See who else is reporting on this story and which side of the political spectrum they lean. To read other sources, click on the plus signs below. Learn more about this data
Left 0% Center 100% Right 0%
Bias Distribution Powered by Ground News

It turns out that fungi might actually be partial to white noise. Researchers at Flinders University in Australia focused on a fungus commonly used in organic farming.

They found that when a sound similar to radio static was played continuously, it led to this particular species of soil fungus to have a boost in growth compared to those left in silence.

QR code for SAN app download

Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.

Point phone camera here

The idea of sound helping plants certainly isn’t new. The “MythBusters” even tried testing whether certain genres like classical or even death metal could help plants thrive.

Ecologists believe this could open doors for sustainable agriculture. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any drawbacks.

In 2020, researchers found that the hum of refrigerators actually increased the growth rate of the kinds of fungus that causes fruit to rot. While sound can help plants, it seems it can also have some unintended consequences.

Tags: , , ,

Jack Aylmer

WHAT IF TURNING UP THE VOLUME COULD HELP YOUR GARDEN GROW?

NO, WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT SERENADING YOUR PLANTS WITH MOZART–ALTHOUGH THAT’S BEEN DEBATED TOO.

IT TURNS OUT FUNGI MIGHT ACTUALLY GROOVE TO WHITE NOISE.

RESEARCHERS AT FLINDERS UNIVERSITY IN AUSTRALIA FOCUSED ON A FUNGUS COMMONLY USED IN ORGANIC FARMING. 

THEY FOUND THAT WHEN A SOUND SIMILAR TO RADIO STATIC WAS PLAYED CONTINUOUSLY IT LED THIS PARTICULAR SPECIES OF SOIL FUNGUS TO HAVE A BOOST IN GROWTH.MUCH FASTER WHEN COMPARED TO THOSE FUNGI LEFT IN SILENCE.

THE IDEA OF SOUND HELPING PLANTS GROW ISN’T ENTIRELY NEW. THE “MYTHBUSTERS” EVEN TRIED TESTING WHETHER CERTAIN GENRES LIKE CLASSICAL OR EVEN DEATH METAL, COULD HELP PLANTS THRIVE. 

ECOLOGISTS BELIEVE THIS COULD OPEN NEW DOORS FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE.

BUT THIS ISN’T ALL MUSIC TO OUR EARS – 

IN 2020, RESEARCHERS FOUND THAT THE HUM OF REFRIGERATORS ACTUALLY INCREASED THE GROWTH RATE OF THE KINDS OF FUNGUS THAT CAUSE FRUIT TO ROT.

SO WHILE SOUND CAN HELP, IT CAN ALSO HAVE SOME UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

WE’LL BE KEEPING AN EAR OUT FOR MORE ON THIS RESEARCH.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M JACK AYLMER