Plant electrophysiology: pentachlorophenol induces fast action potentials in soybean

In the present work, we show that pentachlorophenol (PCP) induces ultra fast action potentials and decreases the variation potential in a soybean. The speed of the propagation of action potentials in a soybean induced by PCP reaches up to 30 m/s, similar to excitation propagation in animal nerves. Measured velocities for transmission of action potentials in green plants reported by different authors were registered in the range of a few mm/s. Action potentials induced in soybeans by PCP are many times faster. Seventy hours after adding PCP to soil variation (resting) potential decreases to zero level. This is the first attempt of high-speed automatic measurements of fast action potentials in green plants.