Abstract
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.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- UV-B:
-
Ultraviolet radiation (280–320 nm)
References
Baker, E.A. (1974) The influence of environment on leaf wax development in Brassica oleracea var. gemmnifera. New Phytol. 73, 955–966
Baker, E.A. (1982) Chemistry and morphology of plant epicuticular waxes. In: The plant cuticle, pp. 139–166, Cutler, D.F., Alvin, K.L., Price, C.E., eds. Academic Press London
Caldwell, M.M. (1971) Solar UV irradiation and the growth and development of higher plants. In: Photophysiology VI, pp. 131–268, Giese, A.C., ed. Academic Press New York London
Cameron, R.J. (1970) Light intensity and growth of Eucalyptus seedlings. II. The effect of cuticular waxes on light absorption in leaves of Eucalyptus species. Aust J. Bot. 18, 275–284
Clark, J.R., Lister, G.R. (1975) Photosynthetic action spectra of trees. II. The relationship of cuticle structure to the visible and ultraviolet spectral properties of needles from four coniferous species. Plant Physiol. 55, 407–413
Denna, D.W. (1970) Transpiration and the waxy bloom in Brassica oleracea L. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 23, 27–31
Eller, B.W., Willi, P. (1977) Die Bedeutung der Wachsausblühungen auf Blättern von Kalanchoe pumila Baker für die Absorption der Globalstrahlung. Flora 166, 461–473
Gausman H.W., Rodriguez, R.R., Escobar, D.R. (1975) Ultraviolet radiation reflectance transmittance, and absorptance by plant leaf epidermises. Agron. J. 67, 720–724
Giese, B.N. (1975) Effects of light and temperature on the composition of epicuticular wax of barley leaves. Phytochemistry 14, 921–929
Grob, K., Grob K. jr. (1978) On-column injection on to glass capillary columns. J. Chromat. 151, 311–320
Gülz, P.-G. (1982) Composition of epicuticular waxes from fruits of Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis [Link] Schneider). Z. Naturforsch. Teil C 37, 1053–1056
Hall, D., Jones, R.L. (1961) Physiological significance of surface wax on leaves. Nature 191, 95–96
Hall, D.M., Matus, A.I., Lamberton, J.A., Barber, H.N. (1965) Infraspecific variation in wax on leaf surfaces. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 18, 323–332
Horn, D.H.S., Kranz, Z.H., Lamberton, J.A. (1964) The composition of Eucalyptus and some other leaf waxes. Aust. J. Chem. 17, 464–476
Horn, D.H.S., Lamberton, J.A. (1962) Long chain β-diketones from plant waxes. Chem. Ind. (London) 2036–2037
Hull, H.M., Morton, H.L., Wharrie, J.R. (1975) Environmental influences on cuticle development and resultant foliar penetration. Bot. Rev. 41, 421–452
Jeffree, C.E., Baker, E.A., Holloway, P.J. (1976) Origin of the fine structure of plant epicuticular waxes. In: Microbiology of aerial plant surfaces, pp. 119–158, Dickinson, C.H., Preece, T.F., eds. Academic Press, London
Juniper, B.E. (1958) Growth, development, and effect of the environment on the ultra-structure of plant surfaces. J. Linn. Soc. 56, 413–419
Kolattukudy, P.E. (1980) Cutin, suberin, and waxes. In: The biochemistry of plants, vol. 4, pp. 571–645, Stumpf, P.K. ed., Academic Press, New York
Köhlen, L., Gülz, P-G. (1976) Untersuchungen über die Kutikularwachse in der Gattung Cistus L. (Cistaceae). I. Die Zusammensetzung der Alkane in den Blattwachsen. Z. Pflanzenphysiol. 77, 99–106
Lord, E. (1947) The use of range in place of standard deviation in the t-test. Biometrika 34, 41–67
Lord, E. (1950) Power of the modified t-test (u-test) based on range. Biometrika 37, 64–77
Macey, M.J.K. (1970) The effect of light on wax synthesis in leaves of Brassica oleracea. Phytochemistry 9, 757–761
Martin, J.T., Juniper, B.E. (1970) The cuticles of plants. Edward Arnold, Edinburgh
Metcalfe, L.D., Schmitz, A.A., Pelka, J.R. (1966) Rapid preparation of fatty acid esters from lipids for gas chromatographic analysis. Anal. Chem. 38, 514–515
Mikkelsen, J.D., von Wettstein-Knowles, P. (1978) Biosynthesis of β-diketones and hydrocarbons in barley spike epicuticular wax. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 188, 172–181
Pillai, K.C.S., Buenaventura, A.R. (1961) Upper percentage points of a substitute F-ratio using ranges. Biometrika 48, 195–196
Robberecht, R., Caldwell, M.M. (1978) Leaf epidermal transmittance of ultraviolet radiation and its implications for plant sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation induced injury. Oecologia 32, 277–287
Robberecht, R., Caldwell, M.M. (1980) Leaf ultraviolet optical properties along a latiduninal gradient in the artic-alpine life zone. Ecology 61, 612–619
Schomburg, G., Behlau, H., Dielmann, F., Weeke, F., Husmann, H. (1977a) Sampling techniques in capillary gas chromatography. J. Chromat. 142, 87–102
Schomburg, G., Husmann, H., Weeke, F. (1977b) New developments and experiences with glass capillary column production and sampling techniques. Chromatographia 10, 580–588
Schönherr, J. (1976) Water permeability of isolated cuticular membranes: The effect of cuticular waxes on diffusion of water. Planta 131, 159–164
Sinclair, R., Thomas, D.A. (1970) Opical properties of leaves of some species in arid South Australia. Aust. J. Bot. 18, 261–273
Steinmüller, D., Tevini, M. (1982) Some effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on surface lipids of Cucumis sativus cotyledons. BPT-Bericht 5, 93–101, Gesellschaft für Strahlen-und Umweltforschung, München, FRG
Steinmüller, D., Tevini, M. (1984) UV-B-induced effects upon cuticular waxes of cucumber, bean, and barley leaves. In: Stratospheric ozone reduction, solar ultraviolet radiation and plant life, Worrest, R.C., Caldwell, M.M., eds.
Templeton, A.R., See, R.M. (1973) A comparative study of leaf structure as modified by three environments commonly used to grow plants for experimental use. Edgewood Arsenal Tech. Rep. EC-TR-73021. U.S. Department of the Army
Teramura, A.H., Tevini, M., Iwanzik, W. (1983) Effects of ultraviolet-B radiation on plants during mild water stress. I. Effects on diurnal stomatal resistance. Physiol. Plant. 57, 175–180
Tevini, M., Iwanzik, W., Thoma, U. (1981) Some effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on the growth and composition of plants. Planta 153, 388–394
Tevini, M., Iwanzik, W., Teramura, A.H. (1983a) Effects of UV-B radiation on plants during mild weater stress. II. Effects on growth, protein, and flavonoid contents. Z. Pflanzenphysiol. 110, 459–467
Tevini, M., Thoma, U., Iwanzik, I. (1983b) Effects of enhanced-UV-B radiation on germination, seedling growth, leaf anatomy and pigments of some crop plants. Z. Pflanzenphysiol. 109, 435–448
Thomas, D.A., Barber, H.N. (1974) Studies on leaf characteristics of a cline of Eucalyptus urnigera from Mount Wellington, Tasmania. I. Water repellency and the freezing of leaves. Aust. J. Bot. 22, 501–512
Tulloch, A.P. (1973) Composition of leaf surface waxes of Triticum species: Variation with age and tissue. Phytochemistry 12, 2225–2232
Tulloch, A.P. (1976) Chemistry of waxes of higher plants. In: Chemistry and biochemistry of natural waxes, pp. 235–287, Kolattukudy, P.E., ed. Elsevier, Amsterdam New York
Tulloch, A.P., Hoffman, L.L. (1971) Leaf wax of durum wheat. Phytochemistry 10, 871–876
von Wettstein-Knowles, P. (1972) Genetic control of β-diketone and hydroxy-β-diketone synthesis in epicuticular waxes of barley. Planta 106, 113–130
von Wettstein-Knowles, P., Avato, P., Mikkelsen, J.D. (1980) Light promotes synthesis of the very long fatty acyl chains in maize wax. In: Biogenesis and function of plant lipids pp. 271–274, Mazliak, P., Benveniste, P., Costes, C., Douce, R. eds. Elsevier Biomedical Press North-Holland
Wellmann, E. (1975) UV-dose-dependent induction of enzymes related to flavonoid biosynthesis in cell suspensions of parsley. FEBS Lett. 51, 105–107
Whitecross, M.I., Amstrong, D.J. (1972) Environmental effects on epicuticular waxes of Brassica napus L. Aust. J. Bot. 20, 87–95
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Steinmüller, D., Tevini, M. Action of ultraviolet radiation (UV-B) upon cuticular waxes in some crop plants. Planta 164, 557–564 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00395975
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00395975