Differential occurrence of epicuticular wax and its role in leaf tissues of three edible aroids hails 1from north eastern hill region of India

FACUNDO PIENIAZEK; MESSINA VALERIA

Agriculture

MDPI

Año: 2022

The localization of cuticular wax (CW) on the leaf epidermis and its interaction with thephysiological mechanisms of three edible aroids, Alocasia, Colocasia, and Xanthosoma, were as-sessed. CW in the leaf tissues was visualized using scanning electron microscopy, which washigher in Colocasia (10.61 mg·dm−2) and Xanthosoma (11.36 mg·dm−2) than in Alocasia (1.36 mg·dm−2).Colocasia CW exhibited superhydrophobic properties with a higher static contact angle (CA) (>150°)than Xanthosoma (99.0°) and Alocasia (128.7°). The higher CW in Colocasia and Xanthosoma resultedin better leaf chlorophyll stability, moisture retention ability, and cellular membrane integritycompared to Alocasia. CW acted as a protecting barrier against deleterious solar radiation in termsof sun protection factor (SPF). The glossy appearance of wax crystals in the Alocasia leaf cuticlesresulted in higher SPF. Overall, Colocasia CW highly influenced the qualitative and protectivemechanisms of the leaf. Our study sheds light on the pivotal role of CW in the physiologicalproperties of aroid leaves, which would be useful for the selection of wax-rich plants for aug-menting future breeding strategies. The information would also be useful for further exploration ofthe industrial potential of superhydrophobic wax crystals obtained from edible aroids.