In many plant species, leaf senescence correlates with an increase in intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as well as differential regulation of anti-oxidative systems. Due to their reactive nature, reactive oxygen species (ROS) were considered to have only detrimental effects for long time. However, ROS turned out to be more than just toxic by-products of aerobic metabolism but rather major components in different signaling pathways. Considering its relatively long half-life, comparably low reactivity, and its ability to cross membranes, especially hydrogen peroxide, has gained attention as a signaling molecule. In this article, a set of tools to study hydrogen peroxide contents and the activity of its scavenging enzymes in correlation with leaf senescence parameters is presented.
Keywords: Anti-oxidative systems; Arabidopsis; Ascorbate peroxidase; Catalase; Chlorophyll contents; Guaiacol; Hydrogen peroxide; Leaf senescence; Lipid peroxidation; Oilseed rape; Plants; SAGs; SDGs; Superoxide dismutase.