Under natural conditions, plants experience external mechanical stresses such as wind and touch that impact their growth. A remarkable feature of this mechanically induced growth response is that it may occur at distance from the stimulation site, suggesting the existence of a signal propagating through the plant. In this study, we investigated the electrical response of poplar trees to a transient controlled bending stimulation of the stem that mimics the mechanical effect of wind. Stem bending was found to cause an electrical response that we called 'gradual' potential, similar in shape to an action potential. However, this signal distinguished from the well-known plant action potential by its propagation up to 20 cm along the stem and its strong dumping in velocity and amplitude. Two hypotheses regarding the mode of propagation of the 'gradual' potential are discussed.

中文翻译：

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茎弯曲会在杨树中产生电响应

在自然条件下，植物会受到外部机械应力（例如风和触摸）的影响，从而影响其生长。这种机械诱导的生长反应的显着特征是它可能发生在距刺激部位较远的地方，表明存在通过植物传播的信号。在这项研究中，我们研究了杨树对模拟风的机械效应的茎的瞬时受控弯曲刺激的电响应。发现茎弯曲会引起电响应，我们称其为“逐渐”电势，其形状类似于动作电势。但是，该信号与众所周知的植物动作电位不同，因为它沿着茎干传播达20 cm，并且在速度和振幅上都强烈倾倒。