I was pretty surprised when I read this, “Plants In Forest Emit Aspirin Chemical To Deal With Stress; Discovery May Help Agriculture” Like us, they don’t have to rush to a chemist’s shop and then swallow those pills.
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,” says NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) scientist Thomas Karl, who led the study. “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.
This discovery can be helpful to the farmers.
The discovery 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. At present, they often do not know if an ecosystem is unhealthy until there are visible indicators, such as dead leaves.