Find out the true mystery of the myth of whether music affects plant growth
Much research has been devoted to discovering if music promotes plant growth. Although the hypothesis is based on myth and fanfare, recent evidence suggests a tangible link between music playing and vegetation. This article will discuss theories (and their varying validities) and scientific research regarding music and its benefits for plants.
Starting with a few theories, there have been ideas that sound vibrations from music can stimulate plant growth. The vibrations may cause movements in plant cells, helping nutrition intake, which leads to improvement in growth. Also, there have been theories about stress reduction in plants, where researchers announced that music creates a soothing environment for plants, which reduces stress, helping their growth and health. However, there is no scientific evidence for these theories.
Talking about real examples, there have been experiments conducted on this topic. One of the most famous examples is the "Dorothy Retallack Experiment," where Dorothy conducted experiments where plants were given different types of music. Starting with classical music, plants were healthy and stayed alive. However, given the same resources, but changing the music to rock music, the second plant test subject died, and its conditions were poor. Although the experiment was true, the results were not universally accepted.
In one study from South Korea, the researchers of the National Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology in South Korea found that some plant genes are activated by music. 432 Hz is proven to heal, and relieve stress, which helps the growth of plants, where using the music tonality to certain plants helped growth. One of the most widely used forms of music is classical music. Plants exposed to classical music had the most enhanced growth, which eventually proves that classical music helps plant growth the best.
Although there might’ve been mistakes in the variables during the experiment such as lack of water, overheating, and much more, there is evidence that music can actually affect plant growth, both in positive and negative ways. Classical music, which has been concluded as the best music for plants, is currently being used by people, where they actually are seeing results from music influence.
While there is some evidence suggesting that music can positively affect plant growth, the results could be more conclusive. The potential benefits might be due to sound vibrations, reduced stress, or even improved care by humans influenced by music. More controlled and reproducible scientific studies are needed to establish a definitive link between music and plant growth.