Effect of plant hormones on the leaf senescence of mung bean (Phaseolus radiatus) was investigated by measuring the changes of reducing sugar contents and invertase isozyme activities in detached leaves treated with NAA, $GA_3$ or BA. During dark-induced senescence, reducing sugar contents in the detached leaves increased temporarily at 4 d, thereafter decreased rapidly and reached minimum values within 7-14 d. The pattern of soluble acid invertase activity in the senescing leaves kept in the dark was similar to that of reducing sugar accumulation, whereas the activities of alkaline and extracellular invertases were not significantly changed during leaf senescence. Therefore, these results suggest that soluble acid invertase, but not alkaline and extracellular invertases, induces the accumulation of reducing sugar during leaf senescence of mung bean plants. Exogenous NAA application had little or no effect in the increase of soluble acid invertase activity during dark-induced senescence compared to the control. However, exogenous applications of $GA_3$ and BA led to the increase of soluble acid invertase activity in the senescing leaves. Particularly, BA application was very effective in enhancing the activity of soluble acid invertase as well as in delaying chlorophyll breakdown during dark-induced senescence. These results suggest, therefore, that BA regulates the activity of soluble acid invertase, which leads to the accumulation of reducing sugar, and the stability of photosynthetic apparatus to delay leaf senescence.