The Science We Got Wrong: How Plant Research Rewrote the Rules for Gardening - Ep. 311

For most of the last century, gardeners were taught to cultivate their soil after every rain to conserve moisture, to think of plant roots as lone competitors, and to treat "plant communication" as science fiction. All of that was built on the best evidence available at the time, and all of it has been revised, in some cases more than once, as better tools let researchers see what earlier generations simply could not. In this episode, we walk through four real case studies of plant science changing its mind. Along the way, we talk about how the scientific method works, why one of my favorite phrases, "we don't know what we don't know," is not a discouraging idea but an exciting one, and what all of this means for the choices you make in your own garden each season, now and into the future.

Let’s dig in!

References and Resources:

1. Chalker-Scott, L., and C.H. Daniels. (2016). "Scientific Literacy for the Citizen Scientist." WSU Extension Manual EM100E. https://wpcdn.web.wsu.edu/extension/uploads/sites/30/2024/07/Scientific-Literacy-for-the-Citizen-Scientist.pdf

1. Chalker-Scott, L. (2021, revised). "Dust Mulch Efficacy in Gardens and Landscapes." WSU Extension Fact Sheet FS167E. https://wpcdn.web.wsu.edu/wp-ecommerce/uploads/sites/2/product-3540-sku-FS167E.pdf

1. Chalker-Scott, L. (2017). "A Gardener's Primer to Mycorrhizae: Understanding How They Work and Learning How to Protect Them." WSU Extension Fact Sheet FS269E. https://wpcdn.web.wsu.edu/wp-ecommerce/uploads/sites/2/product-3286-sku-FS269E.pdf

1. Chalker-Scott, L. (2023). "Gardening with Companion Plants." WSU Extension Publication EM128E. https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/product/gardening-with-companion-plants-home-garden-series/

1. Oklahoma State University Extension. "Mycorrhizal Fungi." Fact Sheet. https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/mycorrhizal-fungi

1. Pacific Horticulture Society. "Mycorrhizal Fungi, Nature's Key to Plant Survival and Success." https://pacifichorticulture.org/articles/mycorrhizal-fungi-natures-key-to-plant-survival-and-success/

1. Cao, D., Chabikwa, T., Barbier, F., Dun, E.A., Fichtner, F., Dong, L., Kerr, S.C., & Beveridge, C.A. (2023). "Auxin-independent effects of apical dominance induce changes in phytohormones correlated with bud outgrowth." Plant Physiology, 192(2), 1420–1434. https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiad034

1. Mason, M.G., Ross, J.J., Babst, B.A., Wienclaw, B.N., & Beveridge, C.A. (2014). "Sugar demand, not auxin, is the initial regulator of apical dominance." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(16), 6092–6097. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1322045111

1. Barbier, F.F., Dun, E.A., & Beveridge, C.A. (2017). "A Growing Stem Inhibits Bud Outgrowth — The Overlooked Theory of Apical Dominance." Frontiers in Plant Science, 8:1874. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5671643/

1. "Lessons from a century of apical dominance research." (2023). Journal of Experimental Botany. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10400159/

1. Simard, S.W., Perry, D.A., Jones, M.D., Myrold, D.D., Durall, D.M., & Molina, R. (1997). "Net transfer of carbon between ectomycorrhizal tree species in the field." Nature, 388, 579–582. https://www.nature.com/articles/41557

1. "Belowground carbon transfer across mycorrhizal networks among trees: Facts, not fantasy." (2023). Review discussing the scope and limits of current evidence for mycorrhizal carbon transfer. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10751480/

1. Baldwin, I.T., & Schultz, J.C. (1983). "Rapid Changes in Tree Leaf Chemistry Induced by Damage: Evidence for Communication Between Plants." Science, 221(4607), 277–279. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.221.4607.277

1. Heil, M. (2014). "Herbivore-induced plant volatiles: targets, perception and unanswered questions." New Phytologist, 204(2), 297–306. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.12977

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