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Comparative analysis of the chemical composition and water permeability of the cuticular wax barrier in Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.)

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Abstract

Cuticular wax is a hydrophobic barrier between the plant surface and the environment that effectively reduces the loss of water. The surface of Welsh onion leaves is covered with wax. To explain the relationship between wax composition and water loss, we conducted this experiment. The water permeability and wax composition of leaves were determined by chemical and GC-MS methods. We performed a comparative analysis of the differences between the two cultivars and analyzed the relationship between water permeability and waxy components. Overall, the permeability to water was higher in ‘Zhangqiu’ than in ‘Tenko’. The wax amount of ‘Tenko’ was 1.28-fold higher than that of ‘Zhangqiu’ and was primarily explained by the much larger amounts of ketones and alcohols in the former. Among the waxy components, C29 ketones were most abundant. There were substantial discrepancies in wax composition, total wax content, and water permeability between the two cultivars. The main reason for the discrepancy in water permeability may be the significantly lower aliphatic fraction in ‘Zhangqiu’ than in ‘Tenko’. This study makes a vital contribution to drought resistance research on allium plants.

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Funding

This study was supported by the National Characteristic Vegetable Industry Technology System Project (Grant No. CARS-24-A-09), the Double First-Class Discipline Construction Project of Shandong Province (No. SYL2017YSTD06), and the Agricultural Variety Project of the Science and Technology Department of Shandong Province (No. 2016LZGC015).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Horticulture Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, 271018, People’s Republic of China

    Xuena Liu, Song Gao, Ying Liu, Bili Cao, Zijing Chen & Kun Xu

  2. Collaborative Innovation Center of Fruit & Vegetable Quality and Efficient Production, Tai’an, Shandong, People’s Republic of China

    Xuena Liu, Song Gao, Ying Liu, Bili Cao, Zijing Chen & Kun Xu

  3. Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops in Huanghuai Region, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tai’an, Shandong, People’s Republic of China

    Xuena Liu, Song Gao, Ying Liu, Bili Cao, Zijing Chen & Kun Xu

  4. State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Ministry of Agriculture, Tai’an, Shandong, People’s Republic of China

    Xuena Liu, Song Gao, Ying Liu, Bili Cao, Zijing Chen & Kun Xu

Authors
  1. Xuena Liu
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  2. Song Gao
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  3. Ying Liu
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  4. Bili Cao
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  5. Zijing Chen
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  6. Kun Xu
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Kun Xu and Xuena Liu designed the research. Xuena Liu, Song Gao, and Ying Liu performed the experiments. Xuena Liu, Bili Cao, and Zijing Chen analyzed the data. Xuena Liu wrote the manuscript, and Kun Xu revised the intellectual content of this manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Kun Xu.

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Liu, X., Gao, S., Liu, Y. et al. Comparative analysis of the chemical composition and water permeability of the cuticular wax barrier in Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.). Protoplasma 257, 833–840 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-019-01470-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-019-01470-3

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