Abscission

Abscission is when plants let go of their leaves or fruits. Think of it like when you let go of a balloon and it floats away. The plant does this because it needs to get rid of old parts that are no longer useful and might even be harmful to the plant.

Plants have a special layer of cells called the abscission zone that is located where the leaf or fruit meets the stem. These cells have a special job of breaking down and disconnecting from the plant. When the abscission zone gets a signal from the plant that it's time to let go (usually because of changes in temperature, light or stress), it creates a layer of cells that become weaker and eventually break.

This allows the leaf or fruit to fall off the plant, and the plant can then create new leaves or fruits to take their place. This is important for the plant's growth and survival, just like how you need to eat new food instead of old food that has gone bad.

So, abscission is when plants do some house-cleaning by letting go of their old, unneeded parts in order to make room for new and healthy growth.