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The senescence syndrome in plants: an overview of phytogerontology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

J. R. Hillman ,
S. M. Glidewell  and
N. Deighton
J. R. Hillman*
Affiliation:
Scottish Crop Research Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
S. M. Glidewell
Affiliation:
Scottish Crop Research Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
N. Deighton
Affiliation:
Scottish Crop Research Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
*
*To whom correspondence should be addressed
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Synopsis

The deteriorative processes leading to the death of a population, individual or part of an individual can be genetically programmed or induced by environmental perturbations, physical damage, pests and diseases. Senescence in multicellular plants is typically a phenomenon resulting from cell differentiation and loss of totipotency. Recycling of nutrients released from senescent cells, abscission layer formation, containment of pathogens and dispersal of progeny are crucial aspects of senescence management. Senescence-related autocatalytic changes induced by substances generally thought to regulate senescence may not mirror the sequence of changes occurring naturally through correlative processes in the intact plant. The chloroplast has a key role in reversing senescence-related degradation of other organelles. Conventional symptoms of senescence used in plant sciences have obscured common theories of senescence regulation for all types of organism.

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Type
Research Article
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Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section B: Biological Sciences , Volume 102: Oxygen and Environmental Stress in Plants , 1994 , pp. 447 - 458
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1994

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