Wax-extraction effect on water permeances of three isolated plant cuticles.

Abstract

The cuticle is a heterogeneous, extracellular biopolymer, which is synthesized by epidermal cells. It plays many physiological and ecological roles but its main function is the reduction of water loss from plants when the stomata are closed. Cuticular waxes are essential part of the cuticle structure and their presence is limitation factor in controlling water permeability. Therefore, knowledge about amounts and chemical composition of cuticular waxes is necessary in order to understand their functions. This study was conducted to find out the effect of wax extraction on water permeability of three isolated plant species cuticles. The cuticles were enzymatically isolated and waxes were extracted from the cuticles using chloroform. The results showed that the water permeance was affected by removing waxes from cuticle structure and it was increased by high factor for all treated plants. This study showed no correlation between wax coverage of each single species and its water permeability