Diversity of Leaf Cuticular Transpiration and Growth Traits in Field-Grown Wheat and Aegilops Genetic Resources

Abstract

Plants are subjected to unregulated water loss from their surface by cuticular transpiration. Therefore, specific morphophysiological changes may occur during leaf development to eliminate water loss. This study aimed to examine the cuticular transpiration of 23 winter wheat genotypes and their wild-growing predecessors of the genus Aegilops, which were divided into three groups to demonstrate their diversity. The genotypes were sown in autumn and grown in regular field trials at the Research Institute of Plant Production in Piešťany, Slovakia. Cuticular transpiration and growth parameters were analyzed in the postanthesis growth stage. Gravimetric measurement of residual water loss was performed on detached leaves with a precisely measured leaf area. The lowest nonproductive transpiration values were observed in modern wheat genotypes, while higher cuticular transpiration was observed in a group of landraces. Aegilops species generally showed the highest cuticular transpiration with increased water loss, but the total water loss per plot was low due to the low leaf area of the wild wheat relatives. Some of the growth parameters showed a good correlation with cuticular transpiration (e.g., dry mass per plant), but direct relationships between leaf traits and cuticular transpiration were not observed. This study identified a high diversity in cuticular resistance to water loss in wheat and Aegilops accessions of different origins. The potential of identifying and exploiting genetic resources with favorable cuticular transpiration in crop breeding is discussed.

The impact of PEG-induced drought stress on seed germination and seedling growth of different bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes

“…Similarly, the highest reduction in seed germination and growth traits was recorded under -1.2 MPa osmotic potential level compared to the control treatment of the study which supported our second hypothesis [14,38]. Seed germination is an important transition stage from seeds to seedlings for crop plants and higher seed germination under stressful and benign environmental conditions enable plants to thrive and produce higher yields under adverse as well as benign environments [38]. Seed germination is controlled by the microclimatic conditions of the seedbed as well genetic potential of the crop plants.…”

Physio-Morphological and Biochemical Trait-Based Evaluation of Ethiopian and Chinese Wheat Germplasm for Drought Tolerance at the Seedling Stage

“…According to this study, most of the landraces fall under area type that is due to the extensive leaf area, while modern cultivars showed high stomatal conductance which is the basis for high dry matter per unit leaf area. On the other hand, cuticular transpiration is a type transpiration under circumstance of maximum stomata closure and acting as a predictor of drought resistance [98,99]. Though it was not considered in this study, further investigations are needed to identify the effect of cuticular transpiration per unit of leaf area on plants water consumption in the future.…”

Leaf physiological and morphological constraints of water-use efficiency in C3 plants

“…The variability of g min can be also driven by stomatal morphology (leaky stomata) or chemical composition of cuticle ( Duursma et al 2019 ; Machado et al 2021 ). In a recent study across 23 genotypes of wheat, cuticular transpiration showed a strong positive correlation with water loss per dry mass unit, which the authors considered as a proxy for WUE bio ( Gašparovič et al 2021 ). A modelling simulation approach by Duursma et al (2019) revealed a theoretical reduction of WUE i under increasing g min of plants using the general Ball-Berry model of stomatal conductance.…”