September 5, 2003

News Release: Senesco Technologies Field Trial Results Show Significant Shelf-Life Extension in Bananas

Senesco Technologies, Inc. ("Senesco" or the "Company") (AMEX:SNT - News) and its joint venture partner Rahan Meristem, Ltd. today announced results from their banana field trials. The trials indicated that Senesco's proprietary technology dramatically extends the shelf-life of banana fruit. Five years of co-development work culminated in this first round of field trials in which Senesco banana fruit lasted twice as long as control (non-enhanced) fruit. The Senesco bananas ripened normally, but the onset of spoilage and blackening that follows ripening was significantly delayed. Comparison photos are available for viewing at www.senesco.com.

Banana is the most widely consumed fruit worldwide, accounting for a $4.5 billion annual market in the U.S. alone. Typically, fruit are picked before they are allowed to ripen. They are then transported to their final destination under controlled atmosphere conditions where they are gassed with a plant hormone, ethylene, to induce ripening. Once ripening has been artificially triggered, there is a limited window of opportunity for the fruit to be sold and eaten before they spoil. In the Company's field trials, this window was increased by 100%.

Dr. John E. Thompson, Executive Vice President, Research and Development of Senesco, explained how this discovery could benefit the entire banana industry, "The field trial results show that Senesco's technology can benefit banana growers, shippers and consumers. Presently, banana fruit are harvested at approximately 90% of their mature size, an unfortunate inefficiency, to ensure that the majority of the harvest makes it to market without spoiling. Applying our technology will likely enable growers to harvest a full-size crop, rather than sacrificing a 10% reduction in yield. In addition, the need for expensive, controlled atmosphere shipping and ethylene gassing may be reduced or eliminated because the Senesco fruit do not have to be harvested prematurely and can ripen naturally. Finally, the consumer will stand to benefit because the fruit will probably spoil less quickly once purchased. Data from these first field trials are showing a doubling of shelf-life. We expect this to increase still more in additional trials in which implementation of the technology has been optimized."

Bruce Galton, President and CEO of Senesco, commented on how the results may affect the business of the Company, "Based on the strength of this first round of field trial data we feel comfortable initiating commercial contact with prospective licensees of our technology. In conjunction with our partners at Rahan Meristem, we look forward to introducing our enhanced shelf-life bananas to the world's leading banana producers."

The banana field trials indicate that Senesco's technology slows the process of cell death once ripening has occurred, without affecting normal growth of the plant and its fruit. This would likely ensure that the bananas are the same size, shape, weight and color of non-enhanced bananas, with the same taste and nutritional characteristics. This may be accomplished using Senesco's proprietary genes because they appear to selectively control the process of cell death.

The full text of the Company's press releases are available at www.senesco.com.

About Rahan Meristem

Rahan Meristem is considered one of the most outstanding companies for the selection, breeding and production of vegetatively propagated plants. Working to improve plant varieties with cutting-edge molecular biology techniques, Rahan has developed protocols for over 200 plant genera over the past 20 years. Rahan's tissue culture lab is among the most advanced in the world and is the nucleus of a highly integrated R&D network of acclimatization houses, nurseries and experimental plots.

About Senesco Technologies, Inc.

Senesco takes its name from the scientific term for the aging of plant cells: senescence. The Company has developed technology that regulates the onset of cell death. Delaying cell breakdown in plants extends freshness after harvesting, while increasing crop yields, plant size and resistance to environmental stress for flowers, fruits and vegetables. The Company believes that its technology can be used to develop superior strains of crops without any modification other than delaying natural plant senescence. Senesco has begun to explore ways to trigger or delay cell death in mammals (apoptosis) to determine if the technology is applicable in human medicine. Accelerating apoptosis may have applications to development of cancer treatments. Delaying apoptosis may have applications to certain diseases such as Alzheimer's, glaucoma, ischemia and arthritis, among others. Senesco partners with leading-edge companies and earns research and development fees for applying its gene-regulating platform technology to enhance its partners' products. Senesco is headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and utilizes research laboratories at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and the University of Colorado in Denver, Colorado.

Certain statements included in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ materially from such statements expressed or implied herein as a result of a variety of factors, including, but not limited to: the development of the Company's gene technology; the approval of the Company's patent applications; the successful implementation of the Company's research and development programs and joint ventures; the success of the Company's license agreements; the successful conversion of the Company's letter of intent into a license agreement; the acceptance by the market of the Company's products; competition and the timing of projects and trends in future operating performance, as well as other factors expressed from time to time in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). As a result, this press release should be read in conjunction with the Company's periodic filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained herein are made only as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.



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Contact:
Company Contact:
Senesco Technologies, Inc.
Bruce C. Galton, 732-296-8400
or
Investor Relations Contacts:
Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates
Ethan Denkensohn, 212-838-3777
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Bruce Voss, 310-691-7100
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