The
most important function of the plant cuticle is to prevent land-living
plants from desiccation (Karbulkova
et al. 2008). In addition cuticles reduce the leaching of organic
and inorganic chemicals from the leaf interior (Schlegel
et al. 2006), they are the first barrier for the uptake of foliar
applied herbicides (Burghardt
et al. 2005) and they represent mechanical barriers for pathogens
(Krimm
et al. 2005). All theses aspects have in common, that they are closely
related to cuticular transport properties. Investigation of cuticular
permeability is carried out using intact leaves, isolated cuticular
membranes and isolated and subsequently recrystallized cuticular waxes.
Arabidopsis is used analysing wax and cutin biosynthesis (Panikashvili
et al. 2007).
Cuticular
transpiration of 24 species from different habitats.
