Researchers at MIT have suggested that rice seeds can hear the sound of rain, according to a new study. MIT calls it “the first direct evidence that plant seeds and seedlings can sense sounds in nature”. Perhaps surprisingly, the effects reported in this new study are not as radical as they may appear.

Playing music to your plants may sound eccentric, but a few previous studies have found it has some effect. For example, a 2024 study found bok choi grew better to classical music but less well to rock and roll. Nor is this an isolated phenomenon. Sound can have a range of effects on plant behaviour.

For example, some flowers use the pitch of an insect’s buzz to determine whether they will release their pollen. Both arabidopsis (thale cress) and tobacco plants produce higher levels of toxins, such as nicotine, in response to the sound of caterpillars chewing on neighbouring plants. There have also been reports that notes from a synthesiser can increase seed germination and seedling growth in mung beans, cucumber and rice.