The study investigates the potential of delaying leaf senescence to enhance drought tolerance in flowering plants. The researchers hypothesized that suppressing drought-induced leaf senescence could improve drought tolerance by preventing premature cell death. They generated transgenic plants expressing an isopentenyltransferase (IPT) gene driven by a stress- and maturation-induced promoter. These plants showed significant drought tolerance, maintaining high water content and photosynthetic activity during prolonged drought periods. Compared to wild-type plants, the transgenic plants exhibited vigorous growth after drought, minimal yield loss under water-deficient conditions, and improved water use efficiency. The results suggest that delaying leaf senescence through IPT expression could lead to the development of drought-tolerant crops, reducing drought-related losses and ensuring food production in water-limited regions.The study investigates the potential of delaying leaf senescence to enhance drought tolerance in flowering plants. The researchers hypothesized that suppressing drought-induced leaf senescence could improve drought tolerance by preventing premature cell death. They generated transgenic plants expressing an isopentenyltransferase (IPT) gene driven by a stress- and maturation-induced promoter. These plants showed significant drought tolerance, maintaining high water content and photosynthetic activity during prolonged drought periods. Compared to wild-type plants, the transgenic plants exhibited vigorous growth after drought, minimal yield loss under water-deficient conditions, and improved water use efficiency. The results suggest that delaying leaf senescence through IPT expression could lead to the development of drought-tolerant crops, reducing drought-related losses and ensuring food production in water-limited regions.