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Cuticular transpiration and epicuticular lipids of primary leaves of barley ( Hordeum vulgare )
Author(s) -
Larsson Stig,
Svenningsson Magnus
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1986.tb06589.x
Subject(s) - transpiration , hordeum vulgare , cultivar , epicuticular wax , botany , chemistry , composition (language) , biology , poaceae , biochemistry , photosynthesis , linguistics , philosophy , wax
Twenty cultivars of barley and 15 eceriferum mutants from one of the cultivars have been analysed for cuticular transpiration and epicuticular lipids of their primary leaves. The relative cuticular transpiration rates of the cultivars ranged from 0.61 to 1.98. In spite of this variation in transpiration most of the cultivars had almost the same amount of epicuticular lipids per leaf area, about 16 μg cm −2 . The eceriferum mutants showed a wider range in amount of epicuticular lipids, from 5.0 to 15.5 μg cm −2 . Nevertheless, most of the mutants transpired almost at the same rate. Only a weak correlation was found between cuticular transpiration and total amount of epicuticular lipids. None of the analysed lipid components (alkanes, aldehydes, primary alcohols, esters or fatty acids) was better correlated to the cuticular transpiration than the total amount of lipids. When the cultivars were exposed to a mild water stress their cuticular transpiration rates decreased by about 11%. This reduction was not accompanied by any corresponding increase in total amount of epicuticular lipids. The most pronounced effect of the water stress treatment was a stimulation in the ester formation and a reduced formation of primary alcohols. This shift in lipid composition could not be correlated to the decreased cuticular transpiration rates of the individual cultivars. From this investigation it is concluded that the cuticular transpiration is poorly correlated to the amount or composition of the epicuticular lipids in this barley material. As a consequence it was not possible to use any characteristic of the epicuticular lipids as a selection criterion in breeding for drought resistance.