Soundwaves stimulate plant growth-promoting fungus

Scientists at Flinders University are using soundwaves in soil to aid ecosystem recovery, demonstrating the benefits of acoustic stimulation on the growth rate and sporulation of a plant growth-promoting fungus. Their new study has been published in the journal Biology Letters.

The fungus Trichoderma harzianum was selected for the study because of its known beneficial effects on plants, such as disease protection, plant growth and improved nutrient utilisation. In agriculture, it has been shown to parasitise other fungi which are often plant pathogens.

“In our experiments, we show that the acoustic stimulation resulted in increased fungal biomass and enhanced Trichoderma harzianum spore activity compared to controls,” the study authors wrote. The researchers had previously found that a monotonous ‘white noise’ — set at 80 dB sound pressure level — had a similar response in soil bacteria E. coli.

Study leader Dr Jake Robinson said the next step will be to study the benefits of various microbial growth on plant health, and then seek to scale up the experiment outside the lab. “While still in its early stages, the next steps will involve studying the microbiome response mechanisms, the flow-on effect on plants and how to work out how to scale it up in the field,” he said.

“We also need to understand whether this approach could have any potential cascading or unintended consequences.”

Study co-author Associate Professor Martin Breed said the potential for this kind of approach is vital in a bid to head off biodiversity loss and speed up ecosystem restoration. In the absence of large-scale restoration and effective monitoring strategies, it is projected that 95% of the Earth’s land will be degraded by 2050. 

“We strive to find novel ways to speed up and improve levels of beneficial fungi and other microbes in degraded soils,” the study authors wrote. “It could have wide-ranging benefits for restoring degraded landscapes and farming land to feed the world.”

Image caption: Dr Jake Robinson.