A conversation between plants’ daily and aging clocks

Every day you get a day older. So do plants. While the biological daily clock ticks, time passes also for the aging clock. Scientists at the Center for Plant Aging Research, within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), have found how the two clocks talk to each other genetically. Plants’ circadian clock—the 24-hour cyclic rhythm—plays a critical role in regulating aging, in particular, in timing the yellowing of the leaves. As aging plants recycle nutrients for the new leaves and seeds, uncovering these timekeeping mechanisms is important to understanding plant productivity.