We have heard people telling us how plants can feel things or read articles on how plants grow better when music is played to them. It leads us to wonder if plants are conscious of the environment around them. So, do plants have consciousness?
Do plants have consciousness?
No, there is no confirmed proof to show that plants have consciousness. However, there has been an increase in scientific research in regards to the consciousness of plants. While there have been a few experiments that achieved preliminary success, there have been no successful experiments to establish the consciousness of plants as a fact. So, the articles that tell you that plants have consciousness are based on questionable facts.
Observations
We have often observed that some plants curl up their leaves or close their traps when stimulated. This action requires the plant to be able to sense things so that it can act on the same.
So, the response of plants to stimuli raises the question of whether plants can feel things when they react to the same. Such a thought process gave rise to the question of the consciousness of the plant. It gave rise to the curiosity of the scientists, and further research commenced.
Scientific Experiment
One such experiment was conducted by the researchers of the Minimal Intelligence Lab at the University of Murcia, Spain. Twenty French Beans were placed in cylindrical booths, and some of them were accompanied by a cane.
Time-lapse photography was then used to track the growth. It was found that the plants which were accompanied by canes started to sense the cane and grow towards the same. It raised the question of whether plants had the required consciousness to sense their surroundings.
Similarly, experiments have shown that the plants work in an organized system to successfully adapt to the environment around them. The process of evolution is another example of the existent consciousness of plants and their ability to adapt to dynamic environments. These are a few examples due to which the question of plant consciousness arises.
Conflicts
While some scientists believe that consciousness in plants is an unexplored field, others vehemently rely on its non-existence. The main reasoning for the same is the lack of a central nervous system of the brain in plants, through which they can be conscious. There is also a lack of concrete proof to prove that plants have consciousness. The plants lack the high level of brain functioning required to develop consciousness.
However, due to an actual lack of proof, we can say that presently there is no confirmation of the presence of consciousness in plants.
Thus, we can say that plants do not have consciousness, at least at present. However, with an increasing number of experiments and research being conducted in this field, this may change soon. So, until then we would have to consider all the articles about plant consciousness as a myth created to raise awareness about the importance of saving plants.