Stressed plants show altered phenotypes, including changes in color, smell, and shape. Yet, airborne sounds emitted by stressed plants have not been investigated before. Here we show that stressed plants emit airborne sounds that can be recorded from a distance and classified. We recorded ultrasonic sounds emitted by tomato and tobacco plants inside an acoustic chamber, and in a greenhouse, while monitoring the plant’s physiological parameters. We developed machine learning models that succeeded in identifying the condition of the plants, including dehydration level and injury, based solely on the emitted sounds. These informative sounds may also be detectable by other organisms. This work opens new avenues for understanding plants and their interactions with the environment and may have a significant impact on agriculture.

Recordings were done in a soundproof acoustic box, and in a greenhouse in Tel-Aviv University. Refer to the article ("Sounds emitted by plants under stress are airborne and informative") for information on how the recordings were done.

The WAV files in the dataset are 2ms long, recorded at a sampling rate of 500hKz, with the peak of the sound in the middle of the recording. Here is a general explanation of the directories in the dataset. For further understanding of the recording procedure, read the article.

Directories in the dataset:

• Dry Tomato - Tomato plants unwatered for 4-6 days, until the soil moisture in the pots decreased below 5%. The recording was held in the Acoustic Box.
• Dry Tobacco - Tobacco plants unwatered for 4-6 days, until the soil moisture in the pots decreased below 5%. The recording was held in the Acoustic Box.
• Cut Tomato - Tomato plants with moist soil, cut with scissors close to the ground right before the recording started. The severed part of the plant, disconnected from the roots, was recorded. The recording was held in the Acoustic Box.
• Cut Tobacco - Tobacco plants with moist soil, cut with scissors close to the ground right before the recording started. The severed part of the plant, disconnected from the roots, was recorded. The recording was held in the Acoustic Box.
• Empty Pot - Sounds recorded from empty pots in the Acoustic Box. These sounds are noise generated from the microphones themselves, and only recorded on one microphone.
• Greenhouse Noises - Sounds recorded from an empty Greenhouse. These sounds are caught in both microphones and are created from unknown sources inside and outside of the Greenhouse.

The files in the dataset are WAV files and can be opened using any sound processing program.