As explained by plant biologist Dr. Elizabeth Van Volkenburgh, all living organisms perceive and respond to painful touch, but plants do not perceive or “feel” pain the same way that animals do because they lack a nervous system and brain.
Plants do not feel pain because they don't have a brain for any signals to be sent to. Imagine if a human didn't have a brain; they could get cut, but they wouldn't know and there wouldn't be anything to tell that they are in pain...so technically they would not be in pain. Same for plants.
Research has shown that plants are complex organisms that can feel, communicate and respond to their environment. In fact, plants can feel emotions too. This might sound surprising, but it is true.
There is no evidence that plants have any physical defense response to potentially painful stimuli, mostly because they have no means to move away from pain or danger. Some evidence suggests they may have chemical responses, but this absolutely does not suggest they feel pain of any discernible kind.
The answer is yes. In a sense, plants are able to think by perceiving their environment and making decided changes in order to thrive. But when it comes to whether plants can think, plant thought is not at the level of sentience, or self-awareness, like it is for humans and animals.
Roots of plants are exquisitely conscious and aware of self and not-self and engage in sophisticated interactions with a wide range of living organisms. The plant roots enter into symbiotic relationships with bacteria, fungi, and communicate with other plants that are highly sophisticated.
A new study out of the La Trobe Institute for Agriculture and Food has found that most plants are extremely sensitive to touch, and even a light touch can significantly stunt their growth, reports Phys.org.
Although one of its common names is the touch-me-not plant, Mimosa pudica is not harmed when touched, and it will not harm you either. It earned this particular nickname because of its rapid response to touch.
Any contact, be it with your hand, washcloth, or even another plant, will trigger a stress response in your plant. These stress responses often involve producing and releasing hormones and chemicals designed to deter herbivory or save your plant from becoming a snack for some curious cat.
Plants have many surprising qualities, some of which have led scientists to consider whether plants have feelings or possess some degree of intelligence. While no one claims that plants “feel” emotions, as humans do, plants do show signs of “sensing” their surroundings.
However, this “vegetal” soul is different from human souls. Religions like Catholic Christianism also consider plants to have a soul, but in a similar way as Aristotle: the soul is inferior to human souls, and the plant's purpose is to nourish and give life to other living beings.
“But some research shows that speaking nicely to plants will support their growth, whereas yelling at them won't. Rather than the meaning of words, however, this may have more to do with vibrations and volume. Plants react favourably to low levels of vibrations, around 115-250hz being ideal.”
Plants can sense and react to more aspects of their environments than we can, and they maintain bustling social lives by communicating with each other above and below ground. They also interact with other species.
It is an important fact that plants have no central nervous system, which indicates an inability to suffer. They are not able to think or express emotions. Even if we identify them completely with animals, plants are also not caged, abused, or tortured.
Hadany, two students called Itzhak Khait and Ohad Lewin-Epstein, and other scientists from Tel Aviv University, MIT, and Harvard, found that tomatoes, tobacco, and cacti emit "very short ultrasonic clicks." These were almost quiet when they were healthy. "They do less than one sound per hour on average," Hanady said.
Plants can't run away from a threat but they can stand their ground. “They are very good at avoiding getting eaten,” said Linda Walling of the University of California, Riverside.
A new study found that plants grown next to certain other plants are healthier than those grown in isolation.
When plants are deprived of water, they may emit a 'scream' that is too high-frequency for humans to hear, a new study has suggested. The research published in the journal Cell suggests that plants can also generate airborne sounds in response to stress (such as from drought, or being cut).
New research has also shown that music can help plants grow
Like people, plants enjoy listening to music, while different plants prefer different genres. Classical music is most effective on the growth of roses, while chrysanthemums thrive after just 30 minutes of play.
sensitive plant, (Mimosa pudica), also called humble plant, plant in the pea family (Fabaceae) that responds to touch and other stimulation by rapidly closing its leaves and drooping. Native to South and Central America, the plant is a widespread weed in tropical regions and has naturalized elsewhere in warm areas.
Mimosa pudica goes by many names: The Sensitive Plant. The Shy Plant. Touch Me Not. The Tickle-Me Plant.
No – unlike humans and non-human animals, plants do not have feelings. It is undeniable that a plant can respond to environmental stimuli, like turning towards the light or closing over a fly. But that doesn't prove that they can have feelings, such as pain.
All in all, plants are simply not complex enough to experience emotions or pain. While plants can detect stimuli, they aren't conscious of them in the same way as humans and other animals. Without a central nervous system and nerves, plants can't feel pain as we know it.
Touch Triggers A Genetic Defense Response In Houseplants
Professor Jim Whelan, who led the research, said that even the slightest touch activates a major genetic defense response which, if repeated, slows down plant growth.