Plant Senescence and Agriculture

Abstract Senescence is fundamental to the agricultural enterprise. Annual grain crops are harvested when senescence occurs. It is a highly regulated process and governed by various factors. Leaf senescence has been implicated in metabolic pathways related to biomass yield and grain filling. It affects the capacity of photosynthesis and also may affect the presence of compounds responsible for the postharvest quality of the produce. Delayed senescence in the form of stay-green character can increase resilience to environmental stresses and can modulate disease and insect-pest dynamics in standing crops. In green fodder crops, delayed senescence can promote ratooning and multicutting. Thus, studying senescence and the ability to modulate it can lead to increased crop productivity. In recent years, much research has focused on studying the molecular aspects of regulation of leaf senescence in plants. Based on the available information, diverse strategies have been devised to control the onset of leaf senescence and by doing so, improve the agronomic parameters. This chapter reviews the up-to-date information on this topic, as well as strategies to utilize the important trait of leaf senescence for improvement of crops.