Leaf senescence is a complex biological process that involves the degradation of chlorophylls and the eventual death of leaf tissues, affecting plant growth and yield. As the final, postmitotic stage of plant life, leaf senescence is a crucial functional shift from nutrient assimilation to remobilization, critical for plant survival. Its timing is regulated by age, hormones, and environmental stress. Consequently, researchers are intensively devising strategies based on known regulatory mechanisms to manipulate initiation and progression of leaf senescence for enhancing crop resilience and productivity.

While many Senescence-Associated Genes (SAGs) have been identified, fundamental knowledge gaps persist, such as: when exactly is leaf senescence initiated? How are signals transmitted between organelles, cells, and tissues? How can we fully map the molecular pathways of cell senescence? Recent advances in genomics and molecular biology have revealed complex regulatory networks that govern this process, enabling to investigate the interactions between molecular, genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. The integration of single-cell, multi-omics and CRISPR/Cas9 approaches now enables deeper mechanistic exploration and more precise manipulation of senescence pathways.

At the same time, molecular breeding for optimized or ‘stay-green’ traits is rapidly accelerating, driven by the global demand for climate-resilient and high-yielding crops in support of the United Nations’ SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). Combining mechanistic insights with genome engineering, precision editing, pan-genome–informed allele mining, high-throughput phenotyping, and genomic selection has opened new opportunities to design crops with fine-tuned senescence timing, improved nutrient-use efficiency, and enhanced stress tolerance and photosynthetic productivity. In this context, BMC Plant Biology invites submissions to the Collection Leaf senescence and molecular breeding, aiming to gather research that advances our understanding of senescence mechanisms and translates this knowledge into crop improvement. We invite researchers and experts in the field to submit research articles that explore, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Multilayered regulation of leaf senescence
• Genetic and epigenetic control of leaf senescence
• Post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation of leaf senescence
• Hormonal regulation of leaf senescence: regulation by classical and peptide hormones
• Regulatory functions and mechanisms of non-hormonal small molecule signals (e.g. NO, H2S) in leaf senescence
• New mechanisms for stress-induced leaf senescence
• Role of environmental factors on the regulation of leaf senescence
• Role of reactive oxygen species in leaf senescence
• Plant metabolic changes during leaf senescence
• Subcellular structural dynamics and functional remodelling in chloroplast and mitochondria during leaf senescence
• Novel signaling components in regulating leaf senescence in crops
• Integration of leaf senescence traits in molecular breeding programmes
• Pan-genome, GWAS, and QTL analyses for senescence traits
• Marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, and genome editing for senescence improvement
• High-throughput and image-based phenotyping of senescence in crop breeding

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.

Carbon metabolism is central to the growth, development and productivity of photosynthetic organisms. It involves dynamic regulation and interplay between a number of complex processes (e.g. photosynthesis, carbon use and storage, respiration, nutrient metabolism), response and adaptation to environmental cues and stress (e.g. light, CO₂ content, temperature), as well as the integration of fine-tuned enzymatic activity, post-translational modifications and signalling pathways.

Over the past decades, much research has been carried out to understand carbon fixation and utilization in model plants/crops, as well as other photosynthetic organisms. Advancing our understanding of the working principles and regulation of key enzymes like Rubisco, the Calvin–Benson–Bassham (CBB) cycle, C3, C4, and CAM metabolism, carbon concentrating mechanisms (CCMs), or how specific micro-compartments and organelles facilitate carbon concentration, has fundamental relevance. Moreover, the engineering of carbon metabolism has the potential to help addressing current global challenges linked to food security and climate change. For instance, novel insights into carbon metabolism regulation can inform breeding strategies to enhance crop yield and resilience by optimizing photosynthetic efficiency and carbon utilization, and lead to metabolic engineering of photosynthetic (micro)organisms with improved carbon fixation.

In support of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2: Zero Hunger), BMC Plant Biology launches the Collection Plant carbon metabolism. This Collection invites research addressing the mechanisms and regulation of plant carbon metabolism, including research that explores new applications and approaches to modulate carbon metabolism and enhance the yield and stress resilience in crops and photosynthetic organisms (e.g. micro/macroalgae, cyanobacteria). We invite researchers and experts in the field to submit research articles that explore, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• C3, C4 and CAM metabolism in photosynthetic organisms: diversity, regulation and evolution
• Mechanisms and regulation of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle in photosynthetic organisms
• Synthesis, assembly, mechanisms and activity regulation of Rubisco
• Functions and diversity of carbon-concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) in photosynthetic organisms
• Functions, working principles and diversity of micro-compartments and organelles that facilitate carbon concentration in photosynthetic organisms (e.g. carboxysome, pyrenoid)
• Mechanisms and regulation of carbon allocation (e.g. starch and sucrose metabolism)
• Mechanisms and regulation of the central carbon metabolism, e.g. glycolysis, Oxidative Pentose Phosphate pathway, the Tricarboxylic Acid (TCA) cycle in photosynthetic organisms
• Metabolic engineering of carbon metabolism to enhance yield and stress resilience in photosynthetic organisms
• Synthetic biology approaches to enhance carbon fixation
• Impact of environmental stress on carbon metabolism
• Regulation of plant carbon assimilation metabolism by post-translational modifications
• Role of plant secondary metabolites in carbon metabolism regulation

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer-review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.