The molecular genetic analysis of leaf senescence.

The cloning of genes induced during leaf senescence and the study of their modes of regulation conducted in the past two years have revealed some of the molecular mechanisms underlying leaf senescence. The identification of genetic mutants that control leaf senescence in Arabidopsis thaliana opened up new possibilities for genetically analyzing leaf senescence in a model system. Encouraging experimental data with transgenic plants show that manipulation of leaf senescence may greatly contribute to the improvement of important agronomic traits such as crop yield and the storage life of the harvested tissues.