Senescence of leafy vegetables

1987

A:PS

This survey of senescence in non-food leaves and leafy vegetables has demonstrated clearly that senescence is closely tied to the levels and interactions of hormones, such as cytokinin, gibberellin, ABA, and ethylene, and that the water status of the leaf strongly influences the progress of senescence. Much work remains to be done to unravel the intricate web that encompasses senescence. The process as such is sufficiently complex to challenge horticulturists with various backgrounds in the basic plant sciences. However, for many stored leafy vegetables, the process may be even more complex because a given structure, such as a head of cabbage, a head of lettuce, or a rosette of parsley, contain leaves of various ages that may or may not influence one another via translocation of hormones, carbohydrates, or amino acids. We do not know whether these influences exist and, if they do, whether they significantly affect the rate of senescence. Unless we gain this knowledge, we cannot fully understand the progress of senescence during storage of complex structures, such as many leafy vegetables. [AS]

v.22(5):854-859, HORTSCIENCE

Research > Published Articles