Imagine if a plant could warn a farmer that it needs water — or if a farmer could send a message to the plants to prepare for dry weather ahead.
It might sound like science fiction, but researchers at the Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems (CROPPS) have just taken a major step toward making two-way communication with plants a reality.
In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists have solved a mystery that has puzzled researchers for over a century: how plants send signals inside themselves when they are under stress.
Understanding this natural communication system could open the door to developing plants that can “talk” to people and even respond to instructions.
The key lies in something called “negative pressure,” which helps plants keep water inside their stems, roots, and leaves, even during dry conditions.
When a plant experiences stress — like being wounded by an insect bite or facing drought — this delicate pressure balance shifts.
These changes cause fluids inside the plant to move, carrying both mechanical and chemical signals that alert other parts of the plant to take action and restore balance.
“We are trying to build a fundamental understanding of how communication happens in plants,” said lead researcher Vesna Bacheva, a postdoctoral associate at CROPPS and a Schmidt Science Fellow.
Bacheva worked with professors Abe Stroock and Margaret Frank to uncover how stress signals move through the plant’s vascular system — the network of tiny tubes that transports water and nutrients.
The idea that plants could communicate internally has been around for more than 100 years. Some scientists believed plants used hormones or chemicals to send messages, while others thought mechanical forces were at work.
This new research shows that it’s actually both: changes in internal pressure can launch water flows that carry chemical signals, and pressure shifts can also trigger special sensors that release substances like calcium ions, which then activate defense responses.
For example, when a caterpillar bites into a leaf, the pressure change might carry chemicals that tell the rest of the plant to produce a bitter acid that deters insects. Similarly, calcium signals triggered by pressure might lead to changes in gene activity that strengthen the plant’s defenses.
Looking ahead, the researchers hope to develop “reporter plants” — plants that can visibly show their needs by changing color or even glowing when they require water. Their ultimate goal is two-way communication: not only could a plant signal distress, but a farmer could also send a signal telling plants to conserve water during dry spells.
“We’re bringing together biology, physics, engineering, and farming to create something entirely new,” said Professor Stroock. “This discovery could truly transform the future of agriculture.”
