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The Conversation
The Conversation
Environment
Jurriaan Ton, Professor of Plant Environmental Signalling, University of Sheffield

How plants are able to remember stress without a brain

Sergey Nivens/Shutterstock

It may sound strange but plants can remember stress. Scientists are still learning about how plants do this without a brain. But with climate change threatening crops around the world, understanding plant stress memory could help food crops become more resilient.

Since their colonisation of the land 500 million years ago, plants have evolved ways to defend themselves against pests and disease. One of their most fascinating abilities is to “remember” stressful encounters and use this memory to defend themselves.

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