  In this paper we show how inter-cellular molecular communication may change
the overall levels of photosynthesis in plants. Individual plant cells respond
to external stimuli, such as illumination levels, to regulate their
photosynthetic output. Here, we present a mathematical model which shows that
by sharing information internally using molecular communication, plants may
increase overall photosynthate production. Numerical results show that higher
mutual information between cells corresponds to an increase in overall
photosynthesis by as much as 25 per cent. This suggests that molecular
communication plays a vital role in maximising the photosynthesis in plants and
therefore suggests new routes to influence plant development in agriculture and
elsewhere.
