Sonication and ultrasound: impact on plant growth and development

Plant biotechnology, and plant tissue culture in particular, could benefit from new means to stimulate plant growth and development. Although the number of studies is still limited, there is evidence that sonication using low frequencies of sound (as little as a few dozen Hz) to as high as ultrasound (several dozen kHz) may increase organogenesis. In this brief review, we look at those examples in detail and explore how sound influences growth and development. Where available, we try to offer a mechanism by which sound affects or influences plant growth.