Leaves Can Absorb Nutrients from Dust, New Study Finds in Natural Shrubland

A new study has revealed that certain plants can absorb essential nutrients directly from dust that lands on their leaves, expanding the understanding of how vegetation acquires nourishment beyond traditional root uptake from soil.

The research, published in the journal New Phytologist and conducted by scientists at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, focused on three shrub species native to the Judean Hills: pink rock rose, Greek sage, and headed germander. This region regularly receives dust from the Sahara and Arabian Deserts, creating a natural setting to investigate atmospheric nutrient uptake.

Over a three-month period, researchers applied volcanic dust directly to the leaves of half the plants in each species, while leaving the other half untreated. The volcanic dust was chosen because it contains a distinct chemical signature of rare earth elements, allowing scientists to trace whether nutrients absorbed by the plants came from the dust or from the soil.

Plants whose leaves were dusted showed a significant increase in micronutrients such as iron, nickel, manganese, and copper in their shoots. In contrast, nutrient levels in the roots of treated plants remained largely unchanged, indicating that the absorbed materials had entered through the leaves rather than being taken up from the ground.