Variation in Petal and Leaf Wax Deposition Affects Cuticular Transpiration in Cut Lily Flowers

Abstract

The vase life of cut flowers is largely affected by post-harvest water loss. Cuticular wax is the primary barrier to uncontrolled water loss for aerial plant organs. Studies on leaf cuticular transpiration have been widely conducted; however, little is known about cuticular transpiration in flowers. Here, the cuticular transpiration rate and wax composition of three lily cultivars were determined. The minimum water conductance of tepal cuticles was higher at the green bud than open flower stage. Lily cuticular transpiration exhibited cultivar- and organ-specific differences, where transpiration from the tepals was higher than leaves and was higher in the ‘Huang Tianba’ than ‘Tiber’ cultivar. The overall wax coverage of the tepals was higher compared to that of the leaves. Very-long-chain aliphatics were the main wax constituents and were dominated by n-alkanes with carbon (C) chain lengths of C27 and C29, and C29 and C31 in the tepal and leaf waxes, respectively. Primary alcohols and fatty acids as well as small amounts of alkyl esters, ketones, and branched or unsaturated n-alkanes were also detected in both tepal and leaf waxes, depending on the cultivar and organ. In addition, the chain-length distributions were similar between compound classes within cultivars, whereas the predominant C-chain lengths were substantially different between organs. This suggests that the less effective transpiration barrier provided by the tepal waxes may result from the shorter C-chain aliphatics in the tepal cuticle, compared to those in the leaf cuticle. These findings provide further insights to support the exploration of potential techniques for extending the shelf life of cut flowers based on cuticular transpiration barrier properties.

Water permeability of different aerial tissues of carnations is related to cuticular wax composition

“…Buschhaus et al (2015) found that the effectiveness of the C. bipinnatus petal cuticle in blocking water transport was only one‐tenth of that of the leaf cuticle. Similarly, in our previous studies on rose and lily, the water permeance of the petals was higher than that of leaves (Cheng et al, 2019, 2021). The water permeance of lily petals was 5.5 × 10 −5 m s −1 (‘Huang tianba’) and 1.3 × 10 −4 m s −1 (‘Tiber’), whereas the minimum conductance of the leaves was lower, at 2.2 × 10 −5 m s −1 (‘Huang tianba’) and 1.5 × 10 −5 m s −1 (‘Tiber’).…”

“…They found that the petal cuticle showed weaker water resistance than the leaf cuticle because the chain lengths of the main components of the petal cuticle were shorter than those in the leaf cuticle. Similar findings have been made in rose and lily (Cheng et al, 2019, 2021). Goodwin et al (2003) studied the wax composition of snapdragon petals over 12 days from flower opening to senescence and found no significant change during flower development.…”

“…Moreover, Yang et al (2022) found that coating C28 alkane on fruits could reduce water loss in six citrus varieties. Alkanes are also reportedly the main wax constituents on petals in lily (Cheng et al, 2021), rose (Cheng et al, 2019), and snapdragon (Guo & Jetter, 2017). In contrast, in C. bipinnatus , petal wax is mostly dominated by primary alcohols and leaf and stem waxes by alkanes (Buschhaus et al, 2015).…”

Exploring Thrips Preference and Resistance in Flowers, Leaves, and Whole Plants of Ten Capsicum Accessions

“…It remains unclear to what extent the flowers contribute to the differences in thrips resistance among the accessions. Flowers and leaves differ in their morphology, e.g., cuticular wax layers [ 31 , 32 ] and chemical composition [ 33 ]. This suggests that leaf and flower resistance levels may differ considerably, and therefore, total plant resistance might not be directly derived from assessing leaf resistance alone.…”

The Full-length Genome Sequence of a Novel Amalgavirus in Lillium spp. in China

“…Lily, Lilium spp., belongs to the genus Lilium of the family Liliaceae, which is one of the most popular perennial herbaceous bulbous plants widely grown in temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions with various food, aesthetic, economic and medicinal values [1][2][3]. Lilies are a commercially signi cant cut ower worldwide due not only to their elegant shape but also to their appealing scent known for its variations in color, pattern and shape, which is one of the six major bulb owers and shares a great part of the commercial market of the owers worldwide [4][5][6].…”