Quran makes plants grow faster, according to student’s science fair project

MUĞLA – Doğan News Agency

The pepper sprout that 'listened' to Quran recitations is seen on the right, healthy and ripe. The pepper sprout put in normal conditions is on the left. The pepper seeds subjected to melodramatic Turkish Arabesque songs is in the middle. DHA Photo

According to common belief – and even some genuine scientific studies – orchestral music helps plants grow faster, while rock riffs have the opposite effect. Now, a Turkish student appears to have found evidence that recitations of the Quran may have the same effect as classical music.

Curious to explore the melodies that make plants bloom faster, Fatma Akkılıç, a young student at the Milas Semiha Altunkan secondary school in the western province of Muğla, carried out a science project in which she replaced classical music with Quran recitations and rock music with melodramatic Turkish Arabesque songs.

Akkılıç played an audio recording of Quran verses for five hours over the course of 20 days to a pepper sprout. A second pepper sprout was subjected only to Turkish Arabesque music, while a third grew in a silent environment.

According to Akkılıç, the results are undisputable. The pepper sprout that “listened” to the Quran grew 20 centimeters in 20 days, while the sprout left in total silence only grew a modest 13 centimeters. As for the pepper sprout subjected to Arabesque songs, it did not grow at all.

Akkılıç said Quran recitations could be used as a new nutrient for plants and vegetables. “Farmers could make plants listen to the Quran instead of using genetically modified organisms,” she added.