Editorial for Special Issue “Leaf Senescence” in Plants

In crop plants, stress-induced premature senescence can have a major impact on yield, referring to quantity and quality. [...]post-harvest senescence can change nutrient contents and the profile of volatile organic compounds, which relate, for example, to the aroma of vegetables or salads. For this purpose, specific enzymes have to be activated to increase the levels of specific amino acids [10]. [...]the expression of specific members of transporter families are activated during senescence to guarantee the increasing demand and correct the directionality of the transport of sugars and amino acids out of the senescing tissue to pods and seeds [11]. Changing climate conditions will most likely produce long lasting unfavorable conditions and will lead to premature senescence induction and yield losses in many crop plants. [...]understanding senescence processes, their regulation and the impact of stress conditions in model and crop plants will be one of our future challenges.