Key message Leaf CA measurement should take into account angle variation during measurement time. Leaf wettability of common deciduous forest plants is characterized by wetting contact angles ranging from 60° to 140° with a significant variation between species of the same family. Abstract Leaf wettability is an important phenomenon that has an influence on several processes such as the hydrological cycle, plant pathogen growth, or pollutant and pesticide absorption/deposition. The main objective of this research was to investigate the leaf wettability differences of 19 species (16 trees and 3 shrubs) of deciduous plants commonly occurring in Polish forests (temperate climate). The measurements were gathered as follows: 20 undamaged leaves were selected for each species and the wettability was determined by contact angle measurements with an optical goniometer CAM 100 using the sessile drop method. The contact angle was measured with 1-s intervals during 2 min from droplet deposition on adaxial and abaxial leaf surface. Laboratory analyses were completed during the summer of 2016 during full vegetation growth. A general CA decrease with time was observed on both leaf sides. The contact angle values ranged from 60° to 140° depending on species and leaf side. Differences between contact angle values at the beginning and the end of measurement reached 23.6° and engendered changes of wetting classes for some species. In many cases, no wettability class change was observed despite a CA lowering of 20°. The abaxial side was found to be the more repellent for 14 out of 19 species. Altogether, the leaves were classified from highly wettable to highly non-wettable, probably depending on the plant-survival strategy.
Three triticale cDNAs encoding inhibitors of cysteine endopeptidases, belonging to phytocystatins, have been identified and designated as TrcC-1, TrcC-4 and TrcC-5. Full-length cDNAs of TrcC-1 (617 bp) and TrcC-4 (940 bp), as well as a fragment of TrcC-5 cDNA (369 bp), were obtained. A high-level identity of the deduced amino acid sequence of TrcCs with other known phytocystatins, especially with wheat and barley, has been observed. Moreover, the presence of conserved domain, containing the G and W residues, the sequence of QxVxG and the sequence of LARFAV, characteristic for plant cysteine endopeptidase inhibitors, has been noted. The profiles of TrcC-1 and TrcC-5 mRNA levels in the developing seeds of two triticale cultivars that differ in their resistance to preharvest sprouting (Zorro and Disco) were similar. However, the expression of TrcC-4 was, higher in the developing seeds, and in the scutellum of germinating seeds of a cultivar more resistant to preharvest sprouting (Zorro) than in the less resistant (Disco). Additionally, the expression of TrcC-4 remained longer in developing seeds of Zorro as compared to Disco. The performed studies suggest that TrcC-4 might have an influence on the higher resistance of Zorro cultivar to preharvest sprouting.
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