Delayed leaf senescence enhances drought tolerance in a flowering plant. Drought accelerates leaf senescence, reducing canopy size, photosynthesis, and crop yields. Researchers hypothesized that delaying drought-induced leaf senescence could improve drought tolerance. Transgenic plants expressing an isopentenyltransferase gene driven by a stress- and maturation-induced promoter showed delayed senescence, leading to enhanced drought tolerance. These plants maintained high water content and photosynthetic activity, with minimal yield loss even when watered with only 30% of normal amounts. The study demonstrated that delaying leaf senescence through cytokinin production improved drought tolerance and water use efficiency. The transgenic plants showed reduced oxidative stress and maintained redox balance during drought, contributing to their resilience. The results suggest that delaying leaf senescence could be a strategy to develop drought-tolerant crops that maintain yield under water-limited conditions. This approach could help mitigate drought-related losses and ensure food production in arid regions.Delayed leaf senescence enhances drought tolerance in a flowering plant. Drought accelerates leaf senescence, reducing canopy size, photosynthesis, and crop yields. Researchers hypothesized that delaying drought-induced leaf senescence could improve drought tolerance. Transgenic plants expressing an isopentenyltransferase gene driven by a stress- and maturation-induced promoter showed delayed senescence, leading to enhanced drought tolerance. These plants maintained high water content and photosynthetic activity, with minimal yield loss even when watered with only 30% of normal amounts. The study demonstrated that delaying leaf senescence through cytokinin production improved drought tolerance and water use efficiency. The transgenic plants showed reduced oxidative stress and maintained redox balance during drought, contributing to their resilience. The results suggest that delaying leaf senescence could be a strategy to develop drought-tolerant crops that maintain yield under water-limited conditions. This approach could help mitigate drought-related losses and ensure food production in arid regions.