l h e ability to maintain the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+],,,) at homeostatic levels has been examined during leaf senescence in detached parsley (Petroselinum crispum) leaves. Fluorescence ratiometric imaging of mesophyll cells isolated from parsley leaves at various senescence stages and loaded with the CaZ+ indicator fura-2 has revealed a distinct elevation of [Ca2+lCyl, which was positively correlated with the progress of leaf senescence. This initial increase of [Caz+lcyy which was first observed in cells iso- Senescence is a deteriorative process that is associated with a wide range of biochemical changes. Most notable in green leaves is the decrease of Chl content, which is accompanied by a parallel degradation of polar lipids from the matrix of the thylakoid membrane (Thomas and Stoddart, 1980;Thomas, 1986;Meir and Philosoph-Hadas, 1995) and by proteolysis (Thimann, 1985;Philosoph-Hadas et al., 1994). One of the factors that may participate in the regulation of leaf senescence is [Ca2+C],yt (Leshem, 1987), the regulation of which is considered an essential cell function in a11 eukaryotes (Bush, 1995). Cellular Ca2+ homeostasis is normally maintained at submicromolar levels by an ensemble of membrane-