PLANTS exposed to music grow better, believes French physicist and musician Joel Sternheimer, who has recently applied for a patent covering his unique style of music, which he claims promotes growth in plants. These are not random melodies but compositions based on molecular vibrations that occur during the synthesis of proteins (New Scientist, Vol 142, No 1927).

Sternheimer claims that each note of his compositions corresponds to an amino acid -- the building blocks of proteins -- several of which are needed to synthesise different proteins that encourage plant growth. In a test, tomatoes exposed to his tunes grew not only two and a half times larger but were sweeter than regular tomatoes. Sternheimer's compositions are short, lasting for about 30 seconds.