Interesting article
 

I read this on Yahoo News ..

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, AP Science Writer 2 hours, 6 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Aspirin is among the most popular remedies used by people. Turns out some plants like it, too. Researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research were surprised to discover that stressed plants produce an aspirin-like chemical that can be detected in the air above the plants. The chemical may be a sort of immune response that helps protect the plants, the scientists speculated.


According to the researchers, the finding raises the possibility that farmers, forest managers and others may eventually be able to start monitoring plants for early signs of a disease, an insect infestation or other types of stress.

Currently they often do not know if an ecosystem is unhealthy until there are visible indicators, such as dead leaves.

"Unlike humans, who are advised to take aspirin as a fever suppressant, plants have the ability to produce their own mix of aspirin-like chemicals, triggering the formation of proteins that boost their biochemical defenses and reduce injury," NCAR scientist Thomas Karl, the lead researcher, said in a statement.

"Our measurements show that significant amounts of the chemical can be detected in the atmosphere as plants respond to drought, unseasonable temperatures or other stresses."

While researchers had known that plants in the laboratory produce a form of aspirin known as methyl salicylate, they had never looked for it in the forest.

But when they set up measuring devices in a walnut grove near Davis, Calif., to monitor plant emissions that can affect pollution, they discovered measurable amounts of methyl salicylate.

Previous studies have shown that plants being eaten by animals also produce chemicals that can be sensed by other plants nearby.

The new findings, announced Thursday by NCAR in Boulder, Colo., were published in the journal Biogeosciences. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, NCAR's sponsor.

Measuring instruments 100 feet above the ground measured methyl salicylate from plants that were stressed by a local drought and unseasonably cool nighttime temperatures followed by large daytime temperature increases.

In addition to having an immune-like function, the chemical may be a means for plants to communicate to neighboring plants, warning them of the threat.

"These findings show tangible proof that plant-to-plant communication occurs on the ecosystem level," says NCAR scientist Alex Guenther, a co-author of the study. "It appears that plants have the ability to communicate through the atmosphere."

Karl added: "If you have a sensitive warning signal that you can measure in the air, you can take action much sooner, such as applying pesticides. The earlier you detect that something's going on, the more you can benefit in terms of using fewer pesticides and managing crops better."

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On the Net:

National Center for Atmospheric Research: Atmospheric Research - University Corporation for Atmospheric Research - UCAR & NCAR - Home Page

Very interesting article.

Related to a lesser degree...I always put asprin in the vase when I bring home fresh, cut flowers. It perks them up and keeps them fresh longer.

Thanks for sharing this.

I always put a sprig of weeping willow which has the aspirin chemical in the water with something I am trying to root .. Gin

Verrry interesting!! When I joined OB just over a year ago, I had heard about adding aspirin to the water when watering orchids so I asked for opinions and all the OB responses were negative so I thought better of using it.

:)

Thanks, Gin! Super interesting article. It was already known that Salicylic Acid was involved in the plant defense regulation, and now possibly also involved in plant-to-plant signaling!
:lol: Btw, my orchids must be chatting a lot because I add Acetyl Salicylic Acid to the water at least once a week!

Hey Gin,

Thanks for posting the article! Ummm...:hmm I found it to be quite interesting.

I have added aspirin when feeding my orchids over the last 2 years and I can recomment it as a plant food, My orchids produce larger and more flowers than they ever did before, my odonts have increased their bud count and my Promeneras flowers are more prolific, larger than any other I've seen and also produced blooms 2yrs from deflasking. 1 aspirin per 7lt sprayer every feeding: Smilie_happy_peac : Smilie_happy_peac : Smilie_happy_peac : Smilie_happy_peac

Not really a secret, Tindo. ASA is a natural plant hormone known to be involved with the plant internal immune system response to external dangerous attacks (any kind of infection - virus, fungus or damages inflicted to the plant). It acts like a messenger to the area being under attack to adopt certain defense mechanisms against the invader. It also is send to the other parts of the plant as an alert, something like 'stay awake, we're under attack!'. The problem, apparently, is that ASA is produced in very low levels inside the plant and when an attack occurs it needs to be produced in larger levels and this is the weak point in the process. When the plant has the necessary level of ASA the invader in many cases is already spreading inside the plant. So, giving ASA helps the plant immune system to quickly answer against opportunist diseases.

That creates a visual ! Orchid .. OH NO! here he comes with the razor blade ! :shock: ......I am prettier then you are! I am going to kick your pot off that bench :rofl: Gin