Finland researchers reveal how plants balance weight as they grow

Researchers have conducted a study that reveals that plants tend to balance their increasing weights by thickening their stems. It highlights that they may be able to feel their own size and develop accordingly. The scientists, some of them from the University of Helsinki in Finland, manipulated the weight of shoots of soft birch (Betula pubescens) to test their theory that the plants have a sense of 'vertical proprioception'.  According to their experiment, which was published in the journal Current Biology, the tree was able to adjust the radial growth of the stem in response to the added weight.

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Researchers analyzed the growth pattern

The strength of this reaction varied over the length of the stem. Co-author Juan Alonso-Serra of the University of Helsinki reportedly said that the idea that the plants are able to feel their own weight and thicken their stems sounds interesting and their study is the first to address this question in trees. The researchers further examined their theory by analyzing their growth patterns in a birch mutant called elimaki, a plant species which lacked this ability. They said, Elimaki grows upright for straight three months and after that its stems suddenly bend from its base and the whole tree collapses.

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Mutant trees fail to accurately adjust their width 

As compared to the normal trees, the natural mutant trees fail to accurately adjust their width to their increasing weight which makes them less stable mechanically, according to the researchers. They further added that the lack of a proper response to balance weight increase in elimaki trees is linked to a single position in the birch genome. According to scientists, mutant trees played a crucial role in the research work. Many trees produce a new generation in decades while plant models like elimaki, can do it within just months, making them ideal for genetic studies. The study noted that birches are among the very few species where flowering can be induced already at six months’ age. 

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