Leaf epicuticular wax as a determinant trait for drought resistance in cereals

Abstract

The wax coating is an element of the lipid protective layer, the cuticle, which covers the above-ground organs of plants and is the main barrier that prevents non-stomatal water loss. The cuticle helps protect plant surfaces from pathogens and ultraviolet radiation and influences interactions between plants and insects. The accumulation of cuticular wax is one of the mechanisms of adaptation to drought stress. As a result, there are more and more reports on the relationship between cuticular wax and plant resistance to drought. This article deals with the relationship between cuticular waxes and drought resistance in cereals. The paper presents the achievements to date on (i) the relationship between wax biosynthesis and plant response to drought stress using glaucous and nonglaucous near-isogenic lines and on (ii) investigating the role of genes for cuticular wax biosynthesis and transport and the transcription factors that regulate them using mutants with disrupted wax coat formation.