Plant injury can reset the ageing clock in plants but only slightly alleviates senescence

Senescence is the process of losing fitness when growing old, and is shaped by the trade-off between maintenance and reproduction that makes reproduction more unsure with age. Injury to the plant body, however, provides an opportunity to reset the ageing clock and consequently potentially ameliorate senescence.

Martínková et al. examine the effects of injury on life span and on traits closely related to fitness. They report that injury to the plant body is able to reset the ageing clock; however it is so harmful to plant fitness that resprouting serves to only slightly alleviate senescence signs and injury does not cause effective rejuvenation.