Amount Of Cuticular Wax Research Articles

Leaf Cutin Monomers, Cuticular Waxes, and Blackspot Resistance in Rose

The fungal pathogen Diplocarpon rosae causes rose blackspot disease, a serious problem for roses (Rosa) in the managed landscape. To prevent this disease, homeowners and professional growers often apply chemical fungicide. However, increased use of fungicides poses an environmental hazard and an economic burden to the user. New landscape rose cultivars like ‘Knockout’ possess increased disease resistance, but the biological basis for this resistance is still unknown. To investigate the potential role of leaf cuticle in blackspot resistance in rose, five rose cultivars known to vary greatly in blackspot resistance were examined for variation in the major lipids of the leaf cuticle, specifically the monomers of the cutin polyester and the free cuticular waxes. This is the first report of cutin monomers in the Rosa genera. The rose cultivars selected for this study were ‘Knockout’, ‘Mister Lincoln’, ‘Garden Party’, ‘Purple Passion’, and ‘Bicolor’. ‘Knockout’ and ‘Garden Party’ had significantly lower total cutin monomer amount per leaf area than the other cultivars, whereas the most cutin monomers were observed on ‘Purple Passion’, ‘Bicolor’, and ‘Mister Lincoln’. Five major cutin monomers (mostly hydroxylated 16 carbon fatty acids) dominated the cutin profiles of both adaxial and adaxial surfaces of all cultivars, with the 10,16-dihydroxy hexadecanoic acids being most abundant. The proportion of 10,16-dihydroxy hexadecanoic acids was slightly higher in the adaxial than abaxial leaf cuticles of all cultivars. Correspondingly, other cutin monomers were relatively lower in the adaxial cuticle, except 16-hydroxy hexadecanoic acid that differed little. Uniquely, this is the first report of cutin monomer composition of isolated abaxial and adaxial leaf cuticles of any plant. Total leaf cuticular wax amounts were lowest on ‘Purple Passion’ and ‘Knockout’, intermediate in ‘Mister Lincoln’ and ‘Garden Party’, and highest on ‘Bicolor’, with alkanes as the most abundant wax class. Consistent with previously published disease susceptibility ratings, our visual scores showed that ‘Knockout’ was most resistant to blackspot pathogen infection with a visual disease rating score of 1.0, followed by ‘Mister Lincoln’ at 1.8, ‘Garden Party’ at 5.4, ‘Bicolor’ at 7.5, and ‘Purple Passion’ with the most visible disease damage at 8.8. Regression analysis revealed that the alkane and ester proportions were most closely associated with blackspot disease susceptibility ratings, being inversely (R2 = 0.63, P = 0.05) and directly (R2 = 0.81, P = 0.05) correlated, respectively. More studies on the role of cuticle in rose susceptibility to blackspot are now clearly warranted.

Ontogenetic variation in chemical and physical characteristics of adaxial apple leaf surfaces

The reaction of plants to environmental factors often varies with developmental stage. It was hypothesized, that also the cuticle, the outer surface layer of plants is modified during ontogenesis. Apple plantlets, cv. Golden Delicious, were grown under controlled conditions avoiding biotic and abiotic stress factors. The cuticular wax surface of adaxial apple leaves was analyzed for its chemical composition as well as for its micromorphology and hydrophobicity just after unfolding of leaves ending in the seventh leaf insertion. The outer surface of apple leaves was formed by a thin amorphous layer of epicuticular waxes. Epidermal cells of young leaves exhibited a distinctive curvature of the periclinal cell walls resulting in an undulated surface of the cuticle including pronounced lamellae, with the highest density at the centre of cells. As epidermal cells expanded during ontogenesis, the upper surface showed only minor surface sculpturing and a decrease in lamellae. With increasing leaf age the hydrophobicity of adaxial leaf side decreased significantly indicated by a decrease in contact angle. Extracted from plants, the amount of apolar cuticular wax per area unit ranged from only 0.9 μg cm −2 for the oldest studied leaf to 1.5 μg cm −2 for the youngest studied leaf. Differences in the total amount of cuticular waxes per leaf were not significant for older leaves. For young leaves, triterpenes (ursolic acid and oleanolic acid), esters and alcohols were the main wax components. During ontogenesis, the proportion of triterpenes in total mass of apolar waxes decreased from 32% (leaf 1) to 13% (leaf 7); absolute amounts decreased by more than 50%. The proportion of wax alcohols and esters, and alkanes to a lesser degree, increased with leaf age, whereas the proportion of acids decreased. The epicuticular wax layer also contained α-tocopherol described for the first time to be present also in the epicuticular wax. The modifications in the chemical composition of cuticular waxes are discussed in relation to the varying physical characteristics of the cuticle during ontogenesis of apple leaves.

Characterization of Physiological and Biochemical Factors Associated with Postharvest Water Loss in Ripe Pepper Fruit during Storage

Fruit of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is hollow by nature, which limits its water reservoir capacity, and as such, small amounts of water loss result in loss of freshness and firmness, which reduce fruit quality, shelf life, and market value. In order to understand the basis for water loss from fruit, 10 pepper accessions with wide variation in water loss rate were used to study physiological and biochemical factors associated with postharvest water loss in ripe pepper fruit during storage. Postharvest water loss rate in ripe pepper fruit stored at 20 °C, and 85% relative humidity, was found to be associated with cell membrane ion leakage, lipoxygenase activity, and total cuticular wax amount. Total cuticular wax amounts were highest in the high-water-loss pepper fruit, and lowest in the low-water-loss fruit. However, total cuticle amount (isolated enzymatically and quantified gravimetrically), total cutin monomer amount, and the amount of individual cutin monomer and wax constituents (determined using gas chromatography mass spectrometry) indicated no direct association with postharvest water loss rates. Fruit fresh weight, pericarp weight, pericarp surface area, pericarp thickness, initial water content, and dry matter were highly associated with each other, but less so with water loss rate. Fruit of accessions displaying high fruit water loss rate matured and ripened earlier than fruit of accessions displaying low-water-loss rate. Cell membrane ion leakage and lipoxygenase activity were higher after storage than immediately after harvest. Pepper fruit total cuticle wax amount, lipoxygenase activity, and cell membrane ion leakage were directly related to postharvest water loss rate in pepper fruit during storage.

Powdery Mildew Caused by Leveillula taurica on Glossy Leaf Genotypes of Onion in Idaho.

Onion (Allium cepa L.) plants growing in a breeding nursery in Canyon County, Idaho were observed with leaf symptoms of powdery mildew in August and September, 1994. The affected leaves showed roughly circular, 10- to 15-mm-diameter, powdery, white-to-grayish white patches with irregular margins. The leaf area under the fungal growth turned chlorotic and later necrotic. Occasionally, lesions coalesced, covering larger areas of the leaf surface. Symptoms were seen on mature and young leaves. Of 620 lines examined, only the 10 lines which had glossy leaves (no or low levels of cuticular wax) displayed symptoms of powdery mildew. Microscopic examination revealed that the white, powdery growth on the lesions consisted entirely of conidiophores and conidia. Conidiophores emerged through stomata, singly or in groups of two or three, were branched, and bore either terminal, pyriform (59 to 68 × 16 to 19 μm), apically pointed (lanceolate) primary conidia or cylindrical (57 to 62 × 18 to 20 μm) secondary conidia. On the basis of the presence of endophytic mycelium, morphological characteristics of the conidiophores, and the dimorphic conidia the fungus was identified as Leveillula taurica (Lev.) G. Arnaud (1) (anamorph = Oidiopsis sicula Scalia). The teleomorph of this fungus was not observed. Greenhouse inoculations were made onto leaves of three 8-week-old plants of a glossy leaf onion genotype (94P240) and three 6-week-old plants of tomato (cv. Payette) grown in pots. Conidia from sporulating lesions on onion leaves were brushed onto the leaves, and the inoculated plants were covered with a plastic bag for 72 h to maintain high humidity. Inoculated leaves on both hosts developed chlorotic lesions with sporulation of L. taurica after 14 days at 25 to 28°C. Noninoculated onion and tomato plants (one of each) did not develop powdery mildew symptoms. This selective susceptibility of onion genotypes with glossy leaves to L. taurica warrants careful consideration by onion breeding programs in utilizing such germ plasm as a potential source for other desirable characters such as nonpreference to thrips. To our knowledge, this is the first report of powdery mildew of onion caused by L. taurica in Idaho. This disease has been reported on onions in California (3) and Washington (2). However, it has not been observed in commercial onion crops in Idaho, even though the cultivars involved apparently vary as to the amount of cuticular wax on their foliage.

Cuticle characteristics and volatile emissions of petals in Antirrhinum majus.

Floral volatiles, which are small and generally water-insoluble, must move from their intracellular sites of synthesis through the outermost cuticle membrane before release from the flower surface. To determine whether petal cuticle might influence volatile emissions, we performed the first analysis of petal cuticle development and its association with the emission of flower volatiles using Antirrhinum majus L. (snapdragon) as a model system. Petal cuticular wax amount and composition, cuticle thickness and ultrastructure, and the amounts of internal and emitted methylbenzoate (the major snapdragon floral scent compound) were examined during 12 days, from flower opening to senescence. Normal (n-) alkanes were found to be the major wax class of snapdragon petals (29.0% to 34.3%) throughout the 12 days examined. Besides n-alkanes, snapdragon petals possessed significant amounts of methyl branched alkanes (23.6-27.8%) and hydroxy esters (12.0-14.0%). Hydroxy esters have not been previously reported in plants. Changes in amount of methylbenzoate inside the petals followed closely with levels of methylbenzoate emission, suggesting that snapdragon petal cuticle may provide little diffusive resistance to volatile emissions. Moreover, clear associations did not exist between methylbenzoate emission and the cuticle properties examined during development. Nevertheless, the unique wax composition of snapdragon petal cuticles shows similarities with those of other highly permeable cuticles, suggesting an adaptation that could permit rapid volatile emission by scented flowers.

Leaf cuticle and water loss in maize lines differing in dehydration avoidance

The plant cuticle plays an important role in protecting plants against water loss. The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationships between (a) epidermal water loss and epidermal cell-wall thickness and cuticle thickness, and (b) epidermal water loss and cuticular wax quantity and composition in two lines of Zea mays L. (maize) differing in dehydration avoidance. Epidermal water loss from 16-day-old plants was determined by measuring water loss in shoots and detached leaves (leaf blades) under dark conditions. The results revealed an inverse relationship between the epidermal water loss and cell-wall and cuticle thickness. A maize line with lower rates of shoot and detached-leaf water loss, ZPBL 1304, had thicker epidermal cell wall and thicker cuticle than a maize line with higher rates of shoot and detached-leaf water loss, ZPL 389. The amount of cuticular wax did not correlate inversely with epidermal water loss, suggesting that wax quantity alone may not be important in epidermal transpiration. Water flow through the cuticle may thus be more complex than simple diffusion through a homogenous lipid layer.

Leaf cuticular waxes of potted rose cultivars as affected by plant development, drought and paclobutrazol treatments.

The present work was carried out to evaluate how plant growth and cultural practices influence the amount and composition of cuticular waxes on leaves of rose cultivars. The total amount of cuticular wax per leaf area was higher for rose cultivar Apollo Parade than for Charming Parade. Both cultivars had waxes dominated by alkanes, with the major alkanes being the C31 and C33 homologues. Primary alcohols were the next most abundant constituent class, with C26 as the dominant homologue. Compared with Charming Parade, Apollo Parade had higher proportions of its total wax load as primary alcohols but lower acids and aldehydes. The proportion of alkanes in the total load on these cultivars was similar. Commercially produced roses are routinely treated with paclobutrazol (PBZ) to retard growth. PBZ treatments caused a 10% increase in total wax load and changes in the proportions of certain wax constituents within 11 days of application. Notable was an increase in the total proportion of acids in the total load 25 days after PBZ application, primarily because of increased C28 acids. An alternative method of retarding plant growth is production of roses under limited water availability. When Apollo Parade roses experienced periods of moderate drought stress during production, the wax load per leaf area increased 14 and 8% above control levels at 24 and 38 days after imposition of drought, respectively. Drought caused similar changes in the proportions of individual wax constituents as did PBZ application.

Development of seed cuticular waxes on bloomless mutants of Sorghum bicolor L. Moench

Development of seed cuticular waxes on wild-type Sorghum bicolor and isogenic bloomless (bm) mutants was analyzed using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The amount of cuticular waxes per seed dry weight of wildtype increased significantly between the soft dough and hard dough stage, and then decreased after the hard dough stage. Analysis of seeds from wildtype and two sorghum leaf wax mutants allowed identification of the first gene mutations that alter cuticular waxes of seeds. Total cuticular wax quantities on bm2 and bm4 seed surfaces varied between 37% and 75% of wild-type levels during development. Interestingly, bm4 had much higher proportions of short chain length wax constituents than wildtype and bm2 throughout development. These new mutant resources and knowledge about wax development presented here may prove useful for future studies to elucidate the role of cuticular waxes in pest resistance of grain.

Yield, carbon isotope discrimination, canopy reflectance and cuticular conductance of barley isolines of differing glaucousness

The roles of wax bloom (glaucousness) in discrimination against stable isotope 13C (Δ) and yield were studied for 2 years on a pair of near-isogenic lines of two-rowed barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) differing in their degree of glaucousness of the spike and the upper vegetative parts of the plant other than leaf blades. The effects of glaucousness on canopy reflectance and cuticular conductance were also assessed. Plants were grown under fully irrigated and rainfed Mediterranean conditions for 2 years. Grain yield for both years and total straw biomass measured in the second year were higher in glaucous than nonglaucous lines under both irrigated and rainfed conditions. Δ followed the same pattern in both grain and straw with the highest values in the glaucous line under irrigation and the lowest in the non-glaucous line under rainfed conditions. Differences in yield and Δ between the lines were greater under irrigated than rainfed conditions. The higher Δ of the glaucous line suggests that these plants had lower transpiration efficiency (net photosynthesis to transpiration ratio) than the non-glaucous line in the long term. Canopy reflectance at some of the wavelengths of the PAR region (400–700 nm) was significantly higher in the glaucous than in the non-glaucous line under both irrigated and rainfed conditions. Rainfed conditions also increassed canopy reflectance in the PAR region. No significant effect of either glaucousness or water regime was observed in cuticular conductance or amount of cuticular waxes of the flag leaf blades or the ear.

Yield, carbon isotope discrimination, canopy reflectance and cuticular conductance of barley isolines of differing glaucousness

The roles of wax bloom (glaucousness) in discrimination against stable isotope 13 C (A) and yield were studied for 2 years on a pair of near-isogenic lines of two-rowed barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) differing in their degree of glaucousness of the spike and the upper vegetative parts of the plant other than leaf blades. The effects of glaucousness on canopy reflectance and cuticular conductance were also assessed. Plants were grown under fully irrigated and rainfed Mediterranean conditions for 2 years. Grain yield for both years and total straw biomass measured in the second year were higher in glaucous than non-glaucous lines under both irrigated and rainfed conditions. Δ followed the same pattern in both grain and straw with the highest values in the glaucous line under irrigation and the lowest in the non-glaucous line under rainfed conditions. Differences in yield and A between the lines were greater under irrigated than rainfed conditions. The higher Δ of the glaucous line suggests that these plants had lower transpiration efficiency (net photosynthesis to transpiration ratio) than the non-glaucous line in the long term. Canopy reflectance at some of the wavelengths of the PAR region (400-700 nm) was significantly higher in the glaucous than in the non-glaucous line under both irrigated and rainfed conditions. Rainfed conditions also increassed canopy reflectance in the PAR region. No significant effect of either glaucousness or water regime was observed in cuticular conductance or amount of cuticular waxes of the flag leaf blades or the ear.

Action of ultraviolet radiation (UV-B) upon cuticular waxes in some crop plants

The surface structure and composition of surface lipids were examined in leaves of barley, bean, and cucumber seedlings grown in a growth chamber under white light and low levels of ultraviolet (UV-B; 280-320 nm) radiation. The cuticular wax of cucumber cotyledons and bean leaves appeared as a thin homogeneous layer, whereas on barley leaves crystal-like structures could be observed under these irradiation conditions. Principally, the amount of cuticular wax found in barley leaves was five times greater than in bean or cucumber leaves. The prediominant wax components were primary alcohols in barley, primary alcohols and monoesters in bean, and alkanes in cucumber cotyledons. Irradiation with enhanced UV-B levels caused an increase of total wax by about 25% in all plant species investigated. Aldehydes, detected as a minor constituent of cucumber and barley wax, increased twofold. Distribution patterns of the homologs within some wax classes were different at low and enhanced UV-B levels. In general, the distribution of the homologs was shifted to shorter acyl chain lengths in wax of leaves exposed to enhanced UV-B levels. This was most apparent in cucumber wax, less in bean or barley wax. The UV-B-caused effects upon cucumber wax were mainly due to a response by the adaxial surface of the leaf.

Mechanism of Intraspecific Selectivity of Cabbage to Nitrofen

The plant characteristics which makes ‘Hybelle’ cabbage (Brassica oleraceavar.capitataL.) relatively tolerant while ‘Rio Verde’ is susceptible to the toxic action of 2,4-dichlorophenyl-p-nitrophenyl ether (nitrofen) were investigated. No differences between ‘Hybelle’ and ‘Rio Verde’ were found in growth rates, light or dark germination, or stomata density. Little xylem or phloem translocation of nitrofen-14C occurred. Disruption and removal of the cuticle of ‘Hybelle’ increased its susceptibility to nitrofen while ‘Rio Verde’ with more than normal wax deposition was tolerant. Plants with less cuticle were more susceptible, regardless of cultivar. ‘Hybelle’ had more wax per unit surface than ‘Rio Verde’ and wax deposition increased with leaf age. Both cultivars were equally tolerant to nitrofen when 6 weeks old. ‘Rio Verde’ leaves absorbed nitrofen-14C twice as fast as ‘Hybelle’ leaves. The results show that the mechanism of intraspecific selectivity of cabbage to nitrofen is dependent on the amount of cuticular wax on the leaves at the time of nitrofen application.

Characterization of the components of plant cuticles in relation to the penetration of 2,4‐D

SUMMARYQuantitative comparisons were made of the components of the cuticles of leaves of plantain, fat hen, dandelion, dock, chickweed and forget‐me‐not. Hydrocarbons and triterpenoids were prominent in the surface wax of plantain; esters and alcohols in the other surface waxes. Polar compounds predominated in the cuticular waxes. Cuticle development in plantain, dandelion and chickweed was similar, but the cutins differed in the relative proportions of hydroxy‐fatty and fatty acid components. Sorption of 2,4‐D by the cuticular membrane was inversely related to the amount of cuticular wax. Hydrocarbons and an aldehyde fraction isolated from surface wax most effectively reduced the penetration of water in a model system.