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Leaf senescence is a highly regulated physiological process that leads to leaf death and is, as such, the last developmental stage of the leaf. Plant aging and environmental stresses may induce the process of senescence. Here we will focus on the role of leaf senescence in field-grown plants as a response to adverse climatic conditions and, more specifically, on how it contributes to plant survival under drought stress. Drought induces several responses in plants including leaf senescence, which plays a major role in the survival of several species. Drought-induced leaf senescence contributes to nutrient remobilisation during stress, thus allowing the rest of the plant (i.e. the youngest leaves, fruits or flowers) to benefit from the nutrients accumulated during the life span of the leaf. In addition, drought-induced leaf senescence, especially when accompanied by leaf abscission, avoids large losses through transpiration, thus contributing to the maintenance of a favourable water balance of the whole plant. Drought-induced leaf senescence occurs gradually and is characterised by specific macroscopic, cellular, biochemical and molecular changes. Leaf yellowing (i.e. chlorophyll degradation) and specific changes in cell ultrastructure (e.g. chromatin condensation, thylakoid swelling, plastoglobuli accumulation), metabolism (e.g.�protein degradation, lipid peroxidation) and gene expression occur during leaf senescence in drought-stressed plants. Cytokinins and ABA have been shown to be involved in the regulation of drought-induced leaf senescence, although the possible role of other plant hormones should not be excluded. Reactive oxygen species, whose concentrations increase during drought-induced leaf senescence, are also known to be regulators of this process. The complex mechanisms of regulation of leaf senescence in drought-stressed plants are discussed, and attention is drawn to those aspects that still require investigation.

Two-year-old rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) plants were subjected to severe stress by exposure to prolonged drought during a Mediterranean summer. Severely stressed plants recovered completely after the autumn rainfalls although the relative water content remained below 35% for 3 months and the chlorophyll content of leaves was reduced by up to 85% during the drought. In severe stress: (i) alpha-tocopherol increased 9-fold per g dry weight and 20-fold per unit of chlorophyll; (ii) lutein and beta-carotene contents decreased on a dry-weight basis, but an 80% increase in lutein and constant levels of beta-carotene were observed on a chlorophyll basis; (iii) there were transient and sustained increases in the de-epoxidation state of the xanthophyll cycle; and (iv) the highly oxidised abietane diterpene isorosmanol increased 8-fold as a result of the oxidation of carnosic acid. With the autumn rainfalls, water status, alpha-tocopherol and violaxanthin recovered first and the levels of photosynthetic pigments and abietane diterpenes increased later. The photoprotection conferred by the xanthophyll cycle and the antioxidant function of tocopherols, lutein and diterpenes may help to avoid irreversible damage in severe drought, making possible the recovery of functional membranes after the autumn rainfalls. Besides, chlorophyll loss reduces the amount of photons absorbed by leaves, which enhances the photoprotective and antioxidant capacity of leaves per amount of photons absorbed, since the ratios of xanthophylls, alpha-tocopherol and abietane diterpenes to chlorophyll increase.

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The effects of summer drought, dew deposition on leaves and autumn rainfall on plant water relations and diurnal variations of photosynthesis were measured in two evergreen shrubs, rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and lavender (Lavandula stoechas), grown in Mediterranean field conditions. Withholding water for 40 d caused a similar decrease in predawn shoot water potential (ψ pd ) from c. k0.4 to c. k1.3 MPa in both species, but a 50% decrease in the relative leaf water content in L. stoechas compared with 22% in R. officinalis. A similar decrease in CO # assimilation rates by c. 75% was observed in water-stressed plants of both species, although L. stoechas showed smaller photosynthesis : stomatal conductance ratio than R. officinalis (35 vs 45 µmol CO # : mol H # O). The relative quantum efficiency of photosystem II photochemistry also decreased by c. 45% at midday in waterstressed plants of both species. Nevertheless, neither L. stoechas nor R. officinalis suffered drought-induced damage to photosystem II, as indicated by the maintenance of the ratio F v : F m throughout the experiment, associated with an increase in the carotenoid content per unit of chlorophyll by c. 62% and c. 30%, respectively, in water-stressed plants. Only L. stoechas absorbed dew by leaves. In this species the occurrence of 6 d of dew over a 15-d period improved relative leaf water content by c. 72% and shoot water potential by c. 0.5 MPa throughout the day in water-stressed plants, although the photosynthetic capacity was not recovered until the occurrence of autumn rainfall. The ability of leaves to absorb dew allowed L. stoechas to restore plant water status, which is especially relevant in plants exposed to prolonged drought.