BACKGROUND AND AIMS In addition to preventing water loss, plant cuticles must also regulate nutrient loss, leaching. The eceriferum mutants in Hordeum vulgare (barley) potentially influence these functions by altering epicuticular wax structure and composition. METHODS Cultivar Bonus and five of its cer mutants were grown under optimal conditions for vegetative growth and maturation, and nine traits were measured. Nutrient and water amounts going through the soil plus the amount of simulated rain as deionized water, affecting phyllosphere humidity, delivered during either the vegetative or maturation phase were varied. Cer leaf genes and three wilty (wlt) mutants were characterized for reaction to toluidine blue and the rate of non-stomatal water loss. KEY RESULTS Vegetative phase rain on Bonus significantly decreased kernel weight and numbers by 15-30%, while on cer.j59 and .c36 decreases up to 42% occurred. Maturation phase findings corroborate those from the vegetative phase. Significant pleiotropic effects were identified: cer.j59 decreased culm and spike length plus 1000 kernel weight; .c36 decreased kernel number and weight; .i16 decreased spike length and .e8 increased culm height. Excepting Cer.zv and .ym mutations, none of the other 27 Cer leaf genes nor wlt mutants play significant roles, if any, in preventing water loss. Mutants of Cer.zv and .ym lose non stomatal water 13.5 times faster than those of Cer.j, .yi, .ys and .zp and 18.3 times faster than those of four cultivars and tested mutants therein. CONCLUSIONS Using yield to measure the net effect of phyllosphere humidity and wax crystal structure revealed that the former is far more important than the latter. The amenable experimental setup can be used to delve deeper. Significant pleiotropic effects were identified for mutations in four Cer genes of which one is known to participate in wax biosynthesis. 27 Cer leaf genes and three wlt mutants have little if any effect on water loss.

中文翻译：

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大麦 eceriferum (cer) 突变体的生态生理学：湿度和蜡晶体结构对产量和营养参数的影响

背景和目的除了防止水分流失，植物角质层还必须调节养分流失、浸出。大麦（大麦）中的 eceriferum 突变体可能通过改变表皮蜡结构和成分来影响这些功能。方法在最佳营养生长和成熟条件下培养Bonus品种及其5个cer突变体，测定9个性状。穿过土壤的养分和水量加上作为去离子水的模拟降雨量，影响叶际湿度，在营养阶段或成熟阶段输送是变化的。Cer 叶基因和三个 wilty (wlt) 突变体的特征在于对甲苯胺蓝的反应和非气孔失水率。主要结果 Bonus 的营养期降雨显着减少了 15-30% 的籽粒重量和数量，而在 cer.j59 和 .c36 上减少了高达 42%。成熟阶段的结果证实了营养阶段的结果。确定了显着的多效效应：cer.j59 减少了秆和穗长加上 1000 粒重；.c36 减少内核数量和重量；.i16 减少穗长，.e8 增加秆高。除了 Cer.zv 和 .ym 突变之外，其他 27 个 Cer 叶基因和 wlt 突变体都没有在防止水分流失方面发挥重要作用（如果有的话）。Cer.zv 和 .ym 的突变体失去非气孔水分的速度比 Cer.j、.yi、.ys 和 .zp 快 13.5 倍，比其中的四个品种和测试突变体快 18.3 倍。结论 使用产量来衡量叶际湿度和蜡晶体结构的净效应表明，前者远比后者重要。适合的实验设置可用于深入研究。在四种 Cer 基因的突变中确定了显着的多效性，其中一种已知参与蜡生物合成。27 Cer 叶基因和三个 wlt 突变体对水分流失几乎没有影响。