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As in animals, programmed cell death (PCD) in plants plays important roles in embryonic, juvenile and adult phases of development. In addition, a type of PCD is often observed during the plant response to pathogen attack, where it is termed the ‘hypersensitive response’ (HR). Here, examples of PCD are described to illustrate the diversity of initiation signals and potential mechanisms of PCD during plant development. Emerging systems are highlighted and, when appropriate, conclusions drawn from them are compared to paradigms of cell-death control in animals.